Frozen Longing
by halfdemon-kai
Summary: --Partnered with Soldiers with Wings-- Turning her back... that was just the beginning. All that was left was to find a reason worth living for...
1. Chapter 1

_Hey everyone! I finally went over the story and edited a few things. So it should be all fixed up now. If it's not then let me know if you see anything. :3_

_Please anjoy!_

**_Frozen Longing_**

**Chapter 1**

Blue eyes stared across the field with ease. They weren't looking for anything… just looking. It was early morning and the sun had barely risen over the horizon. He didn't know why he had gotten up so early every day. Maybe it was the peace and quiet? …The small hour and a half of it.

Everything had been a wreck when they had left. The lady had thrown fits and gone berserk at maids. Soldiers were sent out to look for them, though they had never been found. He assumed that the crimson haired General was far better off. He was glad that at least they had found a way to escape. There were some of them that couldn't leave. Some with families and lives… some with nothing except themselves…

A small grin graced his face. Why was he thinking about them almost a year or so later? _'Oh well. Friends never die anyway.' _

The sun rose higher and the colours changed from pink to orange and then a light blue. There were no clouds, which _should_ have made it a nice day. Once someone was awake… the noise would start and so would the shouting. The lady was in more of a foul mood as of late. He couldn't help but shake his head. She wouldn't touch replicas anymore; wanted nothing to do with them since the last one had gotten away. Sometimes she seemed like a chicken running around with its head cut off.

He got to his feet and stretched his tired limbs; the sun catching his straw-blond hair. He grinned before raising his hand and curled one finger at a time. _'…Three… Two… One…' _

"Master Din, the lady wants to talk to you," a soldier called as they burst through the doors.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Din laughed, turning to withdraw into the castle.

* * *

Footsteps sounded through the silence of the forest. They had strayed from the path that horses took. Leaves shuffled rather quietly with their light steps that moved forward. She wasn't hiding. It was more like leaving… running away. She had no reason to go back. There was nothing left there; nothing of hers.

After the war she had lost all that was left. The only reason she had stayed was because she thought she could have lived through it. She had lived alone for a long time; coming home to nothing but an empty house. Her brothers had fought and were killed… her lover gone along with them. Parents were long since dead; plagued by a disease and died.

There was no point. Nothing left.

Heart frozen over, she turned her back on her life. If she left it all behind… she could start anew. There would be no turning back; only moving forward.

Her boots stopped when they reached the edge of the forest. Vibrant lime green eyes lifted to look across the long field through long silver bangs. There stood a small city with a castle at the top of a hill.

She was hesitant in her steps. _'Is this really what I want?' _The girl's brows knitted together at the thought. A new life meant leaving it all behind… leaving her lover behind.

"Yeah," she murmured to no one, "This is what I want."

The girl's black boots started walking again and the sound of leaves was replaced with the sound of moving grass. A gentle breeze blew her long locks of silver hair ahead of her.

The world seemed more open now… like there was so much more in it. She had never been outside the city of water. There had never been a reason to leave that kingdom. Everything that was needed… it had all been there.

Now there was more freedom. There was so much more to everything. There were more chances of finding an escape. Turning her back… that was just the beginning. All that was left was to find a reason worth living for.

* * *

Din shook his head as he left the lady's room. She had complained to him about the soldiers not being trained enough. That because the city was such a small kingdom larger ones would want to try to take it over. _'There's nothing here worth taking over.' _He disagreed as he walked down one of the hallways. All the soldiers were at their stations. Training wouldn't be for a while yet.

Ever since the crimson haired General had left the small kingdom, Din had been appointed General. He had never personally wanted the position but felt that it was now his duty. With them gone… things really_ had_ fallen apart.

"Can't say that I blame them," the blond sighed before opening the kitchen door.

The cooks were getting ready to cook breakfast for both the soldiers and the lady.

"Good morning master Din," a cook greeted with a pleasant smile, "How are you?"

"I have been better," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head, "The lady wishes for eggs this morning. Throw whatever else you like in there."

"As you wish master Din," the cook agreed with a nod before grabbing a few eggs.

Din smiled before walking over to the window of the kitchen. _'What is that? …A ligarre?' _He asked himself with furrowed brows. They were a nuisance to the cattle.

The blond haired male continued to watch the silver haired figure as it came closer to the castle.

"It's no surprise that you'd watch that," the same cook as before laughed lightly, "They came from the forest about an hour ago. I wonder what they're doing."

Din cocked a brow at the cook's words. _'I was in there listening to her for an hour? How the hell did he put up with her for three years?' _

He shook his head with a small sigh before turning away from the window.

"Might as well be the welcoming party," he murmured before leaving the kitchen.

The last time the soldiers brought someone back to the castle everything was flipped around and thrown into disarray. Din didn't want to be blamed for that happening again. He'd be the one to have to listen to her complain for hours or days on end.

His feet guided him down the well memorized hallways. It was to the point where he knew every picture and crack. Even when a soldier wasn't standing in the spot they should have been. Gloved hands pushed the doors open and he walked down the few steps to the field. He now stood in the very spot he had sat this morning.

* * *

The silver haired girl walked silently across the field. Her green orbs passed over the grassy field to take in the area. Forest surrounded it all unlike Blue Abarath; the city of water. It was all so different… almost hard to comprehend.

She was three quarters of the way there when she saw someone move at the castle doors. They opened and someone came out; standing at the wall and waiting. _'I guess they know I'm coming now.' _She shrugged at the thought; saved her the hassle of trying to get an audience with the ruler.

The girl climbed over a fence with ease before continuing. When she was close enough, the one standing at the castle moved. His straw-blond hair was a surprising sight. She had never seen someone with that colour before. _'Is it the difference in places?' _She wondered, inwardly cocking a brow.

"Greetings!" the male called with a grin on his face, "My name's Din, how can I help you?"

Now she cocked a brow outwardly.

Din seemed confused when she hadn't replied. Being greeted by someone… it was new again.

"Miss?" he wondered with confusion.

"Sorry," she stated almost cautiously, "I'm not… used to other people."

"Well, let's start with your name," he suggested.

"…Scion."

"Okay Scion," Din grinned, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Her lime green eyes narrowed at his grin. How could someone be so… happy? Was that the right thing to call it?

"What brings you here?" the blond questioned.

Again she didn't answer. This time… the matter wasn't his business.

* * *

Din made a face as he led the silver haired girl down the hallway to meet the lady. _'She's not very sociable…' _He thought to himself.

She didn't answer questions right away. She glared at him for prodding. She scowled when he asked where she came from. She was very sarcastic when she _did_ speak. She was always reluctant to answer. She glared frozen daggers when he asked if she was a replica.

So far… she wasn't one of the people he could get along with easily. _'She probably doesn't get along with anyone.' _Din laughed inwardly at the thought. Scion kind of reminded him of that small replica girl. Shrink the height and dye the hair black and this girl could match the one who ran away with the crimson haired General. The only difference would be the colour of eyes.

A gloved hand knocked on the wooden door and then the lady's voice was heard.

"What's going on?" she shrieked, "Why is everyone having such a fuss?!"

Din sighed while shaking his head.

"Do I feel sorry for you," Scion murmured, looking at Din's back.

"Never used to be this bad," he mumbled back before opening the door.

His blue eyes landed on the blond haired woman sitting at a desk at the side of the room. She looked at her General with furrowed brows.

"You've had other irritations my lady?" Din asked, putting on a curt tone.

He knew how to be polite, even if he didn't want to. _'I really don't want to listen to her again…' _

"Many! And so early in the morning too!" she complained.

Behind him, Din heard Scion sigh.

"The maids couldn't find my dress! Then there's all that noise from the soldiers! Now this… _thing_ shows up!" the lady complained; pointing to Scion.

Din's eyes widened at the lady's accusation. She called Scion a _thing_… did she mean _replica_? Was that what the blond haired woman was implying?

"Did you just call me a _thing_?" Scions voice asked coldly.

"You **are** a _thing_ aren't you? One of those vile creatures?" the lady continued to accuse.

"They have souls, woman," Scion growled, "Just because they're a copy of someone doesn't mean they aren't alive."

He looked back at the silver haired girl and saw her frozen lime green eyes glaring hatefully at the lady. _'She does look like she could be one… They all kind of stand out in a way…' _

"H-how dare you!" the lady growled, "What makes you think you have the _right_?"

Metal slid across a sheath and Din cocked a brow before a blue sword was pointed at the lady's throat.

"I'm as human as you," Scion stated with a frozen glare, "I have blood. Just as you do; just as they do."

"Din, do something about this-"

"Call me a _thing_ and I'll cut those pretty curls of yours," the silver haired girl threatened.

With a sigh, Din reluctantly drew his sword and knocked Scion's to the side. He stepped between them and blue locked with lime green.

"Move."

"She is the lady of the castle Scion," the blond male stated, "It is my duty to protect her."

"I said, move!"

A scowl formed on Scion's face when he didn't move before her sword was withdrawn. Her back was turned and she left the room. Din didn't understand as he ran after her. It wasn't a big problem to be called a replica… why had Scion taken it the wrong way? Why had it mattered so much?

* * *

She seethed as she went down the hallway. _'That arrogant woman… They breathe just like us. Feel just like us…' _Her lime green eyes glared ahead as she continued.

Footsteps came behind her and she didn't stop. She didn't care. _'What right do __**I **__have?! What right does __**she**__ have?' _

"…Scion!" Din's voice called from close behind her, "Scion stop!"

"Why should I?" she asked; feet still moving.

A gloved hand grabbed her wrist to stop her and she actually stopped; eyes wide. Scion flinched as a memory flashed through her mind. Her hand slipped out of Din's hand and she turned; surprise clear in her eyes.

"Scion?" Din questioned with confusion.

"_Scion… why are you acting this way? Why won't you look at me?" _

"_You're going to die on me… I can feel it…" _

"_I'm coming home. I swear that I will."_

"Liar," Scion whispered, "Liar!"

"Scion what's wrong?" Din asker her, hands holding her shoulders tightly.

Lime green eyes widened again with surprise before they looked away. She wasn't going to answer. He didn't need to know.

"Why won't you answer anything I ask?" he asked, dropping his hands.

"I don't know you," Scion stated emotionlessly, "It's got nothing to do with you."

"Then answer what happened in there. That _is_ my business," Din stated, pointing back down the hallway.

"Only because it's your job," she retorted, "You didn't seem too keen on stepping in and saving her."

Scion's eyes narrowed as Din didn't answer.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she muttered, turning her had to the side.

Her feet continued walking and she could feel the blue eyes staring after her. She sighed when footsteps quickly followed after her.

Din blocked her way by cutting her off. Scion furrowed her brows as she stared into the blonde's eyes.

"Where are you going?" he asked, tone serious.

"To see the lady so I can stay here," she stated sarcastically, "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Like you're running away from something," Din replied, sounding sympathetic.

Scion turned her head away. She couldn't look at him with his eyes like that. _'What would he know about running away?' _

Pain flowed through her heart before she pushed it away. That pain… it meant nothing anymore.

"What would you know about running away?" Scion asked coldly, glaring at Din, "I bet you've never run away from anything a day in your life."

"That may be true Scion, but it doesn't excuse your actions," he stated, shaking his head.

Scion clenched her fists tightly at his words. She had to answer and she didn't want to. It was none of his business. The only reason this was tied to him at all was because it was the lady he followed; his ruler. _'It's none of his business…' _

"Why did you draw your sword on the lady?"

"She… insulted my family," Scion murmured reluctantly, staring off to the side, "She insulted my brothers."

Din's confusion was readable on his face. She could see it in his eyes.

"I had three brothers… two of them were replicas," she explained rather quietly, "My first brother was ill when he was younger and died. He was replicated twice and my brothers were mere twins."

'_So different from each other… They were so alive.' _

"They were my oldest brothers, followed by my third brother. The oldest had lime green eyes like mine… People couldn't tell they were different," Scion's voice seemed to go even quieter.

She didn't want to think about it… let alone talk about it.

* * *

Din didn't know what to say to the silver haired girl. _'No wonder she took it offensively…' _He rubbed the back of his head as he thought.

"Now if you would so kindly move, I'd like to leave," she stated, cold eyes locked with his.

"Scion… could I speak to you outside?" the blond asked with a raised brow, "Where people are less inclined to overhear?"

The girl sighed before crossing her arms, "Lead the way."

He couldn't stop the grin that formed on his face. He didn't know why… but he was glad she would hear his words… That he might be able to change her mind on leaving.

He led her to the large double doors that went to the courtyard in the front. Din knew where he was taking her, and he knew she would see once they got past the courtyard.

"Why are we going into the town?" she asked with boredom as she followed.

"I'm going to state what the people already know," he explained, grinning to himself.

"If the people know, then don't the people in the castle know?" she asked.

He laughed a little as she tried to find the holes in his plan.

"They… prefer to not believe or see it," the blond stated as he looked back at her, "It's rather disturbing to them."

"But you don't care," she stated rather than asked.

Din turned his blue eyes forward again as they continued down the hill.

"Not so much that I don't care," he laughed, "I've just had things I have never wanted pushed onto me."

'_Good job Asch… I don't understand at all how you put up with that woman for three years.' _He shook his head at the thought.

Inside he was happy for the crimson haired General. He had managed to get away with his apprentice of sorts - his student. Din was sure that the small replica would be toe to toe with the General now.

"So are we going to talk or what?" Scion's voice broke him out of thought.

He laughed to himself before slowing to walk beside her.

He couldn't believe her demeanor. Scion's long silver hair and lime green eyes made her stand out on their own. Her hair went to the lower part of her back. She had a long white sleeveless jacket over a navy blue sleeveless shirt that showed her midriff. Her pants were black and baggy and her blue sword had amazing detail… She looked – by clothing – like she could have been a guy.

They were in the small city, walking through the semi busy marketplace.

"The lady never used to be like that," Din admitted as he smiled at the people, "She was always… bossy… but not crazy."

Scion didn't look like she really cared about the lady. Of course she didn't. She _had_ almost killed the woman.

"About a year ago, the previous General that kept everything in charge left the castle. He had been there for three years and did one hell of a job," Din explained, "The lady went crazy trying to find him. He was gone; disappeared."

He heard Scion scoff a cold laugh.

"Am I supposed to care that someone lost their mind/" she asked.

"All I ask is that you don't hold it against her."

Din cocked a brow as Scion shook her head as her way of saying 'it's not my problem'. _'How can someone be this way? Not care about anything?' _

"She insulted my family," she stated coldly, "I dislike that woman."

"The lady can't stand replicas anymore. The former General took one with him… she was the cause of his leave."

"Don't blame him," the girl muttered to herself.

"The replica was the cause of his leave. When she arrived… everything changed…"

"Well that's a good story," she commented almost sarcastically, "Now I'm going to go away from my most favorite person in the world."

The blond was confused with her words. _'She's still leaving? …After all that?' _His brows pushed together as she walked ahead of him. Once again he was staring at someone's back… watching other people move on…

**End of Chapter 1**

_Thank you for reading. :D Please R&R. _

_halfdemon-kai_


	2. Chapter 2

_Here's chapter two. :D _

_Please enjoy!_

**Chapter 2**

Scion sat on one of the roofs of the houses. She stared up at the night sky as a cool breeze blew gently over everything. She hadn't left the small city after she left Din in the marketplace. The girl didn't know why, but she didn't feel like leaving yet… even if she despised the lady in the castle.

The silver haired girl sighed before falling onto her back and staring upward. _'So many stars… so many constellations…' _

"_It's a pretty sight isn't it?"_

"_Yeah…"_

"_You're not still mad at me are you? I promised you that I was coming home. I'm not going to leave you alone with those three."_

"_I know… but I just can't shake the feeling that I'll never see you again." _

"_Scion, don't think like that. I'll be home before you know it."_

"_I love you."_

Scion's fingers clenched as she stared upward. The memories wouldn't leave her alone. She had been fine until she had come to this place. Everything had been pushed away after half a year of suffering…

"It's a lie," she whispered as she closed her eyes, "You lied to me."

* * *

Din rubbed the back of his head as he silently walked down the hallway. He had only gotten up a few moments ago; getting dressed to go sit outside. He didn't understand why he did it, but the idea was peaceful to him. Those hours sitting outside were _his_ hours. It was his only time to himself besides bed.

'_I don't suppose that I'd be seeing that girl from yesterday again. Her eyes and reactions… they make her seem kind of lonely…' _Din pulled the door to the courtyard open and his blue eyes widened with surprise.

"You're... still here?" he half asked with confusion.

It was truly a surprise. The way she left the day before would have made anyone believe she was gone for good.

"Unfortunately," she stated with a shrug.

Her brows were furrowed, arms were crossed, and she was leaning against the archway with her shoulder. He didn't understand her at all… didn't get her. It seemed like she would let no one in.

He stepped outside and quietly closed the door behind him.

"Why?" he asked with a raised brow.

"I can leave if you don't want me here," Scion told him emotionlessly, "I have no problem with it."

Din didn't miss how she didn't answer his question.

"Never said that," he shook his head with a small smile.

The silver haired girl didn't say anything as her eyes looked upward at the stone archway.

The blond shook his head at her action; his blue eyes still watching her.

"Would you like to join me this morning Scion, or are you going to stand in the archway all day?" he asked with the smile still on his face.

She pushed off the wall and stood at full height; lime green eyes staring into his blue ones. Her hands gestured for him to lead the way. _'I wonder what made her come back… Or if she even left at all…' _

Din led the way to the place that he sat every morning. Things were silent between the two. He didn't mind the silence, but he wondered what she could possibly be thinking. From the day before he could tell that she hadn't liked it here. She especially didn't like the castle… _'Why would she have stayed then? Why would she want to remain here if she liked nothing about it?' _Crossing his arms, Din leaned against the wall and his eyes scanned over the open field. Nothing else was out of the ordinary. This was certainly something he had never expected.

There was a small thumping sound from beside him as Scion sat down against the stone wall.

"You do this every day?" she asked; not a hint of sarcasm or boredom in her tone.

Was she okay?

"Pretty much," Din laughed, "The only time of the day that it's actually quiet."

"Why do you stay here then?" she questioned as she stared forward.

"It's my duty to watch over the soldiers and castle now that the General is no longer here," the blond shrugged with a small smile, "I was raised here so I have to protect my homeland."

Silence again. She was quiet and easily annoyed. She believed nothing in her life was his business. Did that mean he was wrong for asking then? Was that what she was telling him when she glared? Should he have done the same thing to her in return? _'I'm not very good at glaring.' _He laughed to himself while shaking his head.

"I could ask the same thing of you," Din said as he turned his head her way, "Why would you come back?"

She didn't answer, as he expected she wouldn't. _'Of course.' _

The wind blew gently across the open field and Din smiled to himself. A peaceful moment like this was always nice to have. It was moments like these that made the chaos of life disappear sometimes.

"I never left," Scion finally admitted, "I just wandered around town."

"You sleep at the Inn?" he asked.

"…Outside."

'_She slept outside with the option of inside and a bed… That's new coming from a girl, though it's rude for me to judge by gender.' _

"I'm used to it now," Scion stated emotionlessly, "It… took a long time to get here."

"Why here?" Din questioned, "Was there a reason for your choice?"

"Anywhere else was good enough for me."

* * *

The girl sighed quietly as she thought about her home in Blue Abarath. She couldn't stay there anymore in that empty house… couldn't come through the door and hear nothing but the quiet creek of the hinges. Parents had died; knocked off their feet by an illness. Grandparents… people were lucky to have them anymore.

Blue Abarath was nothing but a left behind memory… a forgotten but remembered past.

"I'm surprised," she chuckled, "You didn't ask where I came from."

She heard the blond laugh at her comment.

"I've learned my lesson," he mused, "You'd just glare or scowl at me."

The girl's eyes never left the field, but she could feel his gaze on her. _'It's almost irritating. I don't look like everyone else. Big deal.' _She rolled her eyes at the thought.

"Can you stop staring at me?" she asked; an edge to her tone.

"Sorry," Din apologized, turning his head away almost immediately, "I forgot it was rude to stare."

Scion shook her head almost in annoyance. Something about that blond… it made her insides turn. It was irritating.

Scion had her arm resting against her knee with one leg straight out. She didn't care what people thought. She just hated how they stared.

"Why… Why do you stay here if you don't like the lady?" she asked, a small curiosity to her voice.

"You ask a lot of questions for someone who doesn't like answering," the blond commented with some amusement.

"…"

She heard another chuckle from the blond.

"Just because I don't want you to know, doesn't mean I'm not curious."

'_I'm as human as you are.'_ Her voice was cold with those words.

"You're only human," he agreed.

For the first time… she looked at him. He had a pleasant smile on his face even though she wasn't being… polite. It felt like she didn't understand him, but deeper it felt like she did. Her brows furrowed at the contradiction. _'That doesn't make any sense.' _

"As I said before," he explained like it was so simple, "I'll protect my home so long as I have to."

"Protect… your home?" she murmured with some confusion.

Din's moral was different. He was raised different. She had a home and abandoned it. She left it all behind for the sake of moving on… He didn't; he wouldn't. Was he afraid? Would he be ashamed to leave? Or was there something holding him back like what pushed her forward?

"It's my duty," he seemed to finish.

Scion raised a brow at those words. _'He feels obligated to protect what has been placed in his hands.' _

"Weird," she murmured to herself.

Silence again. The only sound was the gentle breeze across the open area.

The girl turned her head away and watched the grass sway slowly in the soft breeze. Fields and trees… it was all really new to her.

"Three… Two… One…" Din laughed.

Her lime green eyes gazed his way when the doors opened and a soldier stepped out.

"Master Din, the lady is calling for you," the soldier stated, holding the doors open.

"I'm coming," he replied, pushing himself off the wall.

"On beck and call huh?" Scion asked emotionlessly.

'_She should do what she needs on her own. Rich people piss me off…' _

"I can only do as I'm told," he laughed before disappearing through the opened door.

She stared forward when the soldier had left.

"He's obligated to do his job… Weird," she whispered to herself; a half smile on her face.

'_I haven't heard that in a long time.' _

Leaning her head back against the wall, Scion sighed. She was cold inside – numb – and she didn't fully understand why. _'Just because he died on me… doesn't mean I shouldn't feel anything anymore.' _

Maybe the feeling wasn't numbness at all. Maybe… maybe it was loneliness instead.

Loneliness…a feeling she never before had to recognize.

* * *

Din opened the door to the lady's room with a cocked brow. She was yelling at someone… a maid he supposed. _'Today's just not a normal day in this place…' _

"I'm sorry ma'am!" the maid apologized with fright, "but it's not my fault!"

His blue eyes widened when the lady went to throw one of her ornaments from her nightstand at the maid. The blond woman threw and he interjected in time; catching it in his palm with a serious expression.

"That's enough lady Nadelay," he ordered as he stepped in front of the maid, "If she is unable to do something then it's not her fault."

The maid slowly got to her feet and left hastily. He didn't blame her.

The lady got off her bed and went over to Din with a fake smile on her face. _'I think her 'condition' is getting worse as the days pass.' _His blue eyes narrowed when she wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Oh Din, thank you," she whispered, "She was making me so annoyed."

'_I didn't do it for you.' _He thought as his head turned to the side.

Lady Nadelay put her hand on the back of his blond head. There was something in her eyes that bothered him. Her head moved a little closer to his in that moment. Instinctively his hands went to her shoulders and he tensed the muscles in his neck to stop her. _'She's delusional.' _He concluded to himself. He would acknowledge it even if no one else would.

"Lady Nadelay, I am not Asch," Din told her with a serious tone.

"I know," she whispered with a tempting tone, "You're my lovely Din and I love you."

The lady tried again but to no avail. He wasn't going to let her place her lips on him. _'I won't be used.' _

"That's a lie my lady," he told her, "I do not belong to you, nor are you mine. We are separate people; not lovers."

With those words, lady Nadelay seemed to go rigid under his palms. _'And here comes the complaints… So early in the morning…' _Din sighed inwardly at the thought. Today truly was a little out of the ordinary.

"It's because of that _thing_ from yesterday, isn't it?" lady Nadelay asked angrily; her green eyes furious, "You have fallen for it instead haven't you?"

He dropped his hands from her and groaned in his throat. It was such a bad accusation. _'She's getting bad at judging things lately too.' _

"Lady Nadelay I have not fallen for anyone; neither her nor you. That girl _isn't_ a replica so please cease in calling her a _thing_."

"You're lying! It's fooled you!" she cried, stomping her foot like a child.

"Maid, bring in the doctor!" Din called as he turned toward the doorway, "It's time the lady had a check up."

The straw-blond male left the lady standing in the middle of her room and he sighed. His blue eyes watched the doctor go by in a run. _'At least they know what to do when she gets like this.' _

Din froze when the maid from earlier stopped right in front of him. She was flushed a light shade of pink and her eyes wouldn't meet his.

"Um… thank you so much master Din… for earlier…" she thanked rather quietly.

"You're welcome," he grinned at her, "Thank _you_ for putting up with her when she wakes up."

"Y-you're welcome," the maid bowed before going down the hallway.

He smiled a small smile before walking on his way to the kitchens. Even if the lady was going crazy, everyone still needed to be fed.

* * *

Scion groaned when she felt someone kick her foot. Opening her eyes, she glared at the one who woke her. _'Just a soldier…' _There was agitation with that realization. A soldier had woken her up for nothing.

"What are you doing on the castle grounds?" the armored man asked with suspicion.

"What does it look like?" she asked sarcastically; irritated by being woken up.

"Being a suspicious character that threatened the lady of the castle the day previous," the soldier replied, his eyes narrowing at her.

'_I didn't kill her. I don't see the problem.' _

"I'm going to have to ask that you hand over your sword and any other weapons you may carry," the man continued, holding his hand out for the sword.

Sighing, Scion got to her feet and pulled the sword out of its sheath. _'I'm not in the mood for this so early in the morning.' _

"Take it if you dare to try," she threatened, holding the blade ready.

"I'm merely asking for your sword miss."

"It's someone's property and you'd dare take it?" she asked with a cocked brow.

"Scion!" his familiar voice broke through the moment, "Put the sword away and please do not threaten the guards."

'_Why do I have to listen?' _She wondered, but reluctantly put away her sword.

"Master Din, this woman is a trespasser!" the soldier protested.

"She'll be under my watch," Din replied with a smile, "She won't do anything."

'_That's what he thinks.'_

Scion didn't understand why it mattered if she had a sword. Technically she didn't hurt anyone.

"_Here Scion. It's not much but I had it made for you."_

"_Why would you do that?" _

"_I'm going to teach you how to fight with a sword. That way if I'm not there I don't have to worry about you so much."_

"_Like I'm dumb enough to go down a dark alley anyway."_

"_You never know. Sometimes you take a wrong turn."_

"_Yeah right."_

The girl blinked a few times before the actual world came back. The soldier was gone, but Din had taken his place.

"…What?" she asked almost coldly.

"You shouldn't draw your sword on just anyone," he told her, shaking his head.

"Why not?" she countered.

"Draw it," he challenged, drawing his own sword, "And I'll show you."

She raised a brow at those words. What was he thinking?

The girl did as was asked – though reluctantly – and drew her sword from its sheath. _'Is he going to train with me?' _She wondered as she pointed the blade at him. She was ready. She wasn't expecting nothing.

He swung his blade and the metals clashed with one another. She tried to push him back, but before she could his blade turned. In a moment Din had her disarmed with her sword lying on the long grass. The blonde's sword was directed to her throat and her back was to the wall.

"_That_ is why you don't draw your sword on just anyone," he mused, lowering the blade.

"Again," she stated, going to her sword.

"What?" he asked as if he hadn't heard her right.

"Again," she stated, holding the hilt tightly.

* * *

Din raised a brow at her question. She _wanted_ to train with him? Was that was she was telling him now?

"Why would you want to use a sword?"

"I know how," she assured him, "but I only know the basics. I want to learn_ that_."

"Who taught you?" he asked; curious now.

'_What kind of home did she grow up in?' _

It wasn't proper for a girl or a woman to know how to wield a sword… to want to have the power to take a life. _'Does she want vengeance on someone?' _

"Someone… someone I used to know," Scion replied quietly, "Someone who died a long time ago…"

For a moment Din's face was sympathetic. He knew what it was like to lose someone. His parents were no longer serving in the palace like they used to. They served no one at all anymore.

Scion raised her sword and got ready for anything.

"Why do you want to do this?"

"To change," she stated, "Teach me."

'_I'm good at guessing if something's going to happen… but I never would have guessed that I would be doing something like this…' _The blond rubbed the back of his head before stepping forward. He had no reason to hurt her… He hoped that by doing this he wouldn't have to.

His blue eyes watched as she attacked first; sword raised above her head as she jumped into the air to attack. He lifted his sword above his head to block the quick assault. When he felt the pressure of her attack he pushed her force back at her; throwing her backward.

Din was surprised when she caught herself on the landing. She was quick and agile… Scion knew the basics well. With a lot of training on strategizing while during battle, she could have made a soldier out of herself.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Scion's legs gave out and she fell back. Her sword was on the ground a short distance away. _'He's too good… There always seems to be a way to knock the sword out of my hand…'_ The arms that were holding her up were shaking from the strain they had gone through over the past few hours.

Din had given up part of his important schedule to put time into training her. He taught her how to disarm her enemy… the most vital places to strike… The only thing that was the problem was_ doing_ it.

Panting, Scion fell onto her back in the shade. He had left to gather the soldiers for their training and to check on the lady. He told her that the woman had had a fit when he was called… that her 'crazy level' was getting worse.

"No one believes it," she panted quietly, furrowing her brows.

When the soldiers came out, she forced herself to sit up and watch. Her lime green eyes weren't watching the soldiers though. She sometimes found them lingering on the straw-blond haired male. When the girl caught herself, she shook her head and looked elsewhere. _'He's just different… He's always grinning or laughing… It doesn't' make sense. Not in a place like this.' _

In the pit of her stomach, Scion knew that she had seen someone like him before. She knew it wasn't him exactly. She had never met Din before in her life, just as he had never met her.

"Not like it matters anyway," the girl murmured.

After spending all that time in the empty house… It was all left behind.

A left behind memory… A forgotten but remembered past.

**End of Chapter 2**

_Thank you for reading. :3 I hope that you enjoyed it. Please R&R._

_halfdemon-kai_


	3. Chapter 3

_Here's chapter 3!_

_Please enjoy. :D_

**Chapter 3**

Scion sat against the wall of the castle with her eyes closed. It was raining, and the cool sky water felt good against her skin. Her silver hair was drenched and her bangs hung down in front of her eyes. _'It's weird to do this. I used to hate the rain…' _She smiled at the thought. She was doing well; having yet to turn back to her past. Everything that had been… it was gone and thrown away. She purposely changed everything. There was no turning back.

The girl was proud of herself, but not just for that reason. Training was going well with Din. Two days had passed and she had been able to knock his sword from his hands a few times. Other times he had been the victor for her late reactions.

"I'm getting the hang of it," she whispered to herself.

If the soldiers could do it… then so could she.

Rain poured through the night and the girl stayed where she was. _'The rain's not so bad…'_

"_I hate this weather. You can't get anything done outside."_

"_To each their own, Scion… besides, it's not like you can change the weather."_

"_That's what you think brother."_

"_You going to learn how to master fonons and change the weather one day?"_

"…_Shut up."_

"I bet all four of you are having fun somewhere," Scion murmured before falling asleep in the rain.

When she opened her eyes again, it was still raining outside. The only difference was that the sky was a dull grey colour. _'Morning…' _Her green eyes winced at the dull light. She tried to open them again… seeing a blurry vision of someone standing in front of her with a hand reached out.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere dry," Din's voice laughed.

Scion cocked a brow at his actions. _'Why does it matter now?' _

"Unless you'd rather catch a cold out here," he suggested.

The girl smiled rather sheepishly before taking his gloved hand.

"So you _do_ know how to smile," he mused.

The smile dropped at those words; just to annoy Din. He merely laughed, shaking his head as he pulled her to her feet.

Scion was soaked from head to toe from sleeping outside all night in the rain. The blond may have thought that the idea was foolish, but she didn't really care. She may have hated staring, but she didn't care what other people thought about her actions or appearance. She was no longer _that_ person.

"Where are we going?" the girl asked as she followed him.

"To the inn," he told her, looking back with a smile, "Lady Nadelay decided that she doesn't want you anywhere inside the castle."

"So he says with a smile on his face," she muttered, almost glaring at him.

'_Says it like it's a good thing…' _Her glare turned into more of a scowl at the thought.

"Sorry," he laughed nervously, "She just… throws a fit and keeps blaming everything on you."

Her eyes narrowed at those words. The only thing she had done was point her sword at the woman. Was that really worth all that banishment and hate? _'I have no idea.' _She admitted to herself.

"What happened the other day?" the girl asked with a slight curiosity.

She didn't understand why… but he seemed rather down for the past two days… Like he was forcing himself to smile and grin and laugh. She noticed when his laugh was real; like when he had helped her to her feet only a few minutes ago.

"What do you mean?" he asked; playing dumb.

"You're forcing yourself to smile," she stated, eyes watching him intently, "Don't play dumb."

There was a short silence between the two.

"The lady's condition is worse than usual," Din started to explain, "The fact wouldn't bother me so much if she wasn't so delusional."

"What do you mean?" Scion questioned with confusion.

"She believes that I am Asch; or rather treating me as if I were him," the straw-blond muttered, "She tried to kiss me the other day."

Scion's eyes widened at the mention of the name Asch. She had heard it somewhere before… it was a piece of a memory she had pushed far away. _'There's a reason… I'm not sure where I heard it, but I pushed it away for a good reason…' _

"Lucky you," she muttered.

Her gaze fell away.

The marketplace was empty – almost no people – with no one in their shops. The only people that were outside in the rain were them and a few people running from one house to another. _'I guess I wasn't the only one who thought that nothing can get done if it rains.' _

"Did you let her?" Scion found herself asking.

"Why would I have let her?" Din asked with a small laugh, "I hardly like her."

"Never know," she shrugged, "Men are weird sometimes."

"Ouch, was that a shot?" the blond asked.

"Yeah," she replied, "That was a shot."

Her lime green eyes landed on the back of his head. She caught him shake it and a small smile reached her face. Din was amusing and kind in a way. A weird gentleman…

"Here we are; the Inn," Din stated, looking at the building.

It was small. Its size didn't matter though. People probably stayed there without a care toward the size.

"Cozy," she murmured as she followed him through the door.

"Hello innkeeper," Din greeted kindly.

"Ah master Din, what can I help you with?" the innkeeper asked with a smile.

"I would like for you to put this young lady up for a couple of days," the blond gestured back toward the soaked Scion.

When both men were looking at her she scowled. _'What are they looking at?' _

"That's a fiery one that one," the innkeeper laughed teasingly.

"Don't worry," Din mused, "She's actually quite harmless."

'_Yeah, to you…'_ Scion scowled more at the thought. She wasn't harmless… wasn't weak… not anymore.

The innkeeper was laughing for some reason. She looked at them in wonder as to why.

"Master Din you know that I'll put anyone up for a night or two. Business is business so long as they don't _cost_ me money."

"So very true," the blond agreed before turning to face Scion, "Alright, you're set to go."

"Alright," she murmured.

"Here's the key," the innkeeper tossed it to her, "Master Din can lead the way to your room."

Shaking his head, the blond led the way up the stairs to her room. She was confused when it was the only one on the second floor. Shouldn't there have been more rooms up here?

"It's for royal guests only," Din told her, "The lady insisted on having one added here when she had guests come that she didn't want in the castle."

"That's reassuring," Scion muttered sarcastically, "I get to be an unwanted guest."

'_Not like it matters. I'd rather be nowhere near that woman anyway.' _

"It'd be better than being a wanted guest," the blond suggested as he gestured for her to unlock the door.

Scion paused before using the key and turning the knob. It opened and Scion was surprised by the size of the room. She could tell it was for a _royal_ guest. It held no consideration to her.

"There's a bedroom over to the right and a shower room beside it. Everything you need should be here," Din explained with a smile on his face, "The innkeeper should appreciate your stay since you're not a royal."

In her head Scion could just imagine a royal or noble staying in this inn. They would probably pick so many things apart and not appreciate the service given. _'…Selfish…' _

"Training will probably start around noon if you want to come."

"Of course I'm coming," she told him with a small smile, "If I get to beat up a few soldiers to show my improvement then I'll definitely be there."

"_You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?" _

"_I get to beat you up and get pay back. Of course I'm enjoying myself."_

"_Scion, only you would find an eighteen year old being able to beat up a twenty-one year old guy amusing."_

"_Yeah, what's your point?"_

"_That you're strangely violent."_

"_Thank you."_

Scion looked back at Din with a raised brow. _'Does he think the same of me? It was one of the only things I haven't been able to change about myself…' _

"I'll see you there then," he grinned, "Have fun getting comfortable beforehand. You'll probably really like it here."

"You're not staying?" she asked instantly without a thought.

"I can't," he laughed, "The lady will be demanding my presence soon. If I did stay you wouldn't want someone out here if you showered."

That was true.

"See you at training Scion," Din said with a small wave before leaving.

When the door shut behind him, Scion sighed to herself. When she had been alone before it had been easier. Sure she had been lonely… but when someone was around and then left… Somehow she felt like everything was empty. The room was empty and the air felt heavy… it was weird.

Scion shrugged before going to the shower. It was very clean and shinning white._ 'I wonder how the innkeeper pays for this room… Maybe the castle pays for it?' _

* * *

Din walked through the rain back toward the castle. No one was outside because of this wet weather. He didn't mind this kind of weather. It was kind of refreshing.

He felt that Scion was rather lucky. She could do as she pleased at any time of the day. She could sit outside and do nothing… go for a walk through the forest even with the danger of monsters. The only real danger was the small pack of ligarres in a forest not too far away… A forest that had belonged to Cheagles.

"I wonder why she left her old home," Din murmured to himself.

Maybe one day he would get an answer instead of a glare.

The castle doors were pushed open and a soldier stepped out; head glancing from side to side. Din sighed at the sight. She was up earlier than he expected her to be.

"Master Din, the lady has called for you!" the soldier called; having spotted him coming.

'_Of course she has.' _He thought, rolling his eyes.

With recent events and constantly being treated as if he were the former General, Asch, he was getting tired of the lady. He hadn't wanted to be a General. He had never wished to take the crimson haired man's place. The thought had never really occurred to him in the first place.

When Din opened her door, she was waiting for him. Her eyes lightened and she smiled. Lady Nadelay wrapped her arms tightly around his torso.

"Oh Din, why are you late? I was so worried," she pouted into his chest.

He sighed at her closeness before pulling her off him. When she was pushed back, the lady made a face.

"Why are you being so cold toward a princess's feelings Din?" the lady asked with knitted brows, "It's because of that _thing_ again isn't it?"

Another sigh. He wasn't in the mood for this anymore. He had explained so many times that Scion wasn't a replica; that she was a normal human being. The lady didn't believe him. She wouldn't listen.

"I banished her so there shouldn't even be a problem anymore," the lady stated, starting to sound frustrated.

Din turned away from lady Nadelay and went back toward the door.

"I do not belong to you lady Nadelay," he stated, "We soldiers are not your objects. We are people as well."

The door was shut behind him and he left for his own room. _'Maybe I just haven't gotten enough sleep…' _

Closing his room door behind him, he took off his sword and gloves. His blue eyes looked in the mirror. Instead of seeing the once happy man that he was… he saw something else. It was sad for him to see an almost longing look in his owns eyes.

Once the former General had left, the lady's sanity had slowly begun to decay. He hadn't blamed them for leaving after the way lady Nadelay had been acting. When they were gone she spent a couple months sending soldiers everywhere in search of them. Each one came back with little to no news. When they weren't found she started to get upset with maids and other servants. It had worsened from there; coming full circle.

With a sigh, Din took off his shirt before splashing his face with cold water. He sat on his bed before falling onto his back. _'I could use a nap anyway…' _

* * *

Scion's green eyes stared up at the white ceiling. She had showered and was waiting for her white jacket to dry. _'I don't know why I'm even bothering. It's still raining outside.' _She sighed at the thought.

"I guess it beats wearing it while it's still drenched."

Only the back of her head was still wet. It had been a few hours since Din had left her at the inn.

She sighed as she felt another memory. Pushing it away, Scion got to her feet and grabbed her sleeveless jacket.

"I'm not waiting around here," she murmured.

Scion slipped on her jacket and tied her boots before locking the door.

"You going out young miss?" the innkeeper asked.

"Yeah."

"Have a good day."

She glared at him before going out the door.

'_My past is behind me… __**He**__ is behind me.' _Her brows pulled together as she made her way back to the castle grounds.

"Liar," she whispered.

"_You're going to die on me… I can feel it…" _

"_I'm coming home. I swear that I will."_

"Liar."

The rain poured around her as she fought the push the memory away. She was the only one outside. There was a sound that caught her attention. Being the only one there… of course she would be confused.

"What the…"

Another one. They were soft thuds hitting the soil around her. Something grazed her shoulder… then another grazed the top of her arm. _'Arrows…' _Her feet took off and Scion ran toward the castle for protection. She didn't know where they were coming from… but she knew it was someone in the castle.

Pressing herself against the archway, Scion saw an arrow hit the stone steps. _'What the hell is going on?' _The door opened and soldiers went to come outside. She placed her hand out to stop the lead one.

"Don't move," she hissed before another arrow was shot at the stairs.

The man looked at her with a cocked brow.

"I didn't do anything," Scion growled.

"Someone go get Din," the leading soldier ordered, "Something's going on."

* * *

The straw-blond male groaned when there was a hard knock on his room door.

"Master Din, we have a situation!" a soldier called from the other side of the door.

"What's going on?" Din sighed as he sat up.

He rubbed the back of his head slowly, not wanting to wake up. _'It was a good nap while it lasted…' _

"Scion and the lady are fighting!" the soldier replied.

"What?!"

The door was opened in a moment and the soldier was surprised.

"What happened?"

"Lady Nadelay shot arrows… and Scion got past the other soldiers…"

Din took off down the hallway. _'The lady probably started it… It's something that she would do in her condition…' _He knew he was close when the maids were running away in a fuss… Probably for their own good.

"I'm going to kill you, you stupid-"

"How dare you threaten me!"

There was a pot that was smashed and Din couldn't believe his eyes when he came to the lady's room.

Scion had her sword pointed toward lady Nadelay and the lady had her bow and arrows pointed at Scion.

"Scion, drop your sword," Din ordered, coming into the room.

"Why the hell should I?" she growled, not turning away from the lady.

"Move a muscle," the lady threatened, "and this arrow's going in your empty heart you _thing_!"

"Master Din, what would you like for me to do?" a soldier asked.

"Stop lady Nadelay."

'_If I got a soldier to stop Scion she'd probably turn her sword onto them…' _Din was pressed for decisions.

"You're a pathetic creature, you know that?" Scion growled hatefully.

"That's funny, coming from a replica," the lady hissed back.

Din got both of his arms over Scion's and she dropped her sword to the floor. The soldier did the same; knocking the bow from the lady's hands.

"Let me go you bastard!" Scion growled.

"Take the lady out of here," Din ordered.

"Cut her head off Din," the lady ordered, "I _order _you to have her executed!"

He watched as the blond haired woman was taken out of the room and the door was closed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Scion growled.

"Stopping you from doing something you'll regret."

"That woman _should_ be dead!" she hissed, trying to break free of his grip, "You have no idea what I would regret!"

"Scion calm down, she's not worth it," he told her calmly.

Din was surprised when her thrashing stopped and her head leaned forward.

"…Scion?"

"What do you know?" she asked quietly, "You have no idea… what's worth it…"

His blue eyes turned sympathetic. He knew that sound… she was crying. _'Yes… actually I do.' _

The blond let her go and turned Scion around. He was rather surprised to see the damage dealt. There was a cut on her face across her let cheek. _'Probably from that pot that got broken…' _There were two gashes on her right arm and blood was still coming from the wounds. There was also blood on the inside of her left arm. _'Arrows,' _he assumed.

Din had never thought that the lady would do such a thing even in this state. He never believed that she was that far gone.

"Come on Scion… let's get you back home."

**End of Chapter 3**

_Thank you for reading. I hope that you enjoyed it! Please R&R._

_halfdemon-kai_


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm just moving along with this aren't I? Here's chapter 4. :3_

_Please enjoy!_

**Chapter 4**

Scion stared into the mirror of the bathroom. Din had brought a maid with him from the castle to take her clothes once she was ready to shower. _'My second one today…' _She sighed at the bloody sight of herself. There was dried blood down her left cheek, fresh blood still coming from her arm, and dried blood on her white sleeveless jacket.

Lime green eyes glared at the reflection in the mirror. She had cried in front of Din… cried because of her past.

"Pathetic," she muttered.

'_You were supposed to be strong… to have left __**every**__ piece of it behind in that old house…' _She seethed at the thought. She felt weak – vulnerable – because of it all. Crying – to her – was showing weakness.

"_You know what I think?"_

"_What do you think?"_

"_I think that you should grow your hair longer. It would look really nice on you."_

"_You don't like my hair as it is?"_

"_No Scion, I mean I'd like to see it just once."_

"_Well if you want to see it… then I have no problem with it…"_

"_Hey guys, she's going to do it!"_

"…_Really? Go Scion!"_

"_You're such a jerk!"_

Scion clenched her fists at the memory. She tried to fight back the tears as they welled in her eyes. _'I did it all for you… It was halfway down my back when you left… when all four of you left…' _Dipping a finger in the fresh blood, Scion brought her hair over her shoulder. With her bloody fingers, she drew a diagonal line across her hair. She repeated the motion a couple times before drawing her sword.

"Miss, are you okay in there?" the maid called from the other side of the door.

"It's nothing," she assured the maid, "I'm just looking at it."

Pulling her hair tight, Scion brought the sword to the beginning of the blood red line. _'I grew it for you… but I'm doing this for myself…' _

* * *

Din returned to the room with a new set of clothes for the girl. She had been in the bathroom when he had left, and was now in the shower. Or rather… still in the shower.

"How is she?" he asked the maid as he handed her the new clothes.

"I'm not too sure… the girl has been very quiet…" the maid explained almost thoughtfully.

'_Something's on her mind…'_

"Something wrong?" he questioned.

"Not really… I just found a few strands of hair stuck to the blood of her sword," she explained, "I do hope she's alright."

"She'll be alright," Din assured her with a smile, "That girl's got some kick to her."

"Yes," the maid agreed with a small laugh, "The lady would have my head for mentioning this but that girl reminds me of the replica from a year or so ago."

"Yes, she certainly does in a way," Din agreed with a nod.

The straw-blond male heard the water stop in the bathroom and gestured for the maid to give a hand.

"As you wish master Din," the maid said with a bow before going to the door.

He smiled, picturing Scion's irritation from the maid continuously helping her. The girl must have been annoyed.

He had brought the maid to help Scion with handling her clothes. He was sure she didn't want to put something wet and bloody back on. He brought her back a dark blue kimono – much to her distaste – since it was a simple piece of clothing; one of the simplest in the area.

"And you really expect me to wear this?" Scion's voice asked with agitation as she came out of the bathroom.

His eyes widened at the sight of what she had done.

"What did you do to your hair?" he asked; astonished.

"Oh it magically disappeared in the shower," she said sarcastically, "What does it look like?"

"Why would you do that?"

Her lime green eyes glared at him. _'Apparently it is none of my business…' _

"I cleaned it up before I showered," she shrugged before sitting in a chair.

Din was confused with those words. _'Before she showered? Then why is there still red on her tips then…' _

"What's the red?" the maid asked from the bathroom door.

"Blood," Scion shrugged again, "I used it to mark where to cut."

"It didn't come out…"

"I don't know why it didn't, but I don't really care either."

There were a few moments of silence before Din looked at the maid.

"You can return to the castle now," he told her with a smile, "Thank you for your help."

"M-my pleasure master Din," the maid bowed, "It's been a pleasure miss."

And then the maid was gone.

* * *

Scion looked back at Din with a raised brow. Why did it matter to him on what her hair looked like? It was longer behind her right shoulder and was below her jaw bone on the left. She liked how it turned out. It didn't matter what anyone else thought. Not to her anyway.

"Why did you come here with me?" the girl asked.

'_Shouldn't he have stayed to calm his lady down? See if that woman was alright?' _She made a face that thought. She had barely touched the woman let alone hurt her.

"I figured if I let you go on your own then there was nothing to keep you from coming back," Din explained with a slight shrug, "Besides, I'd rather help you than her."

"Why?" she asked with a cocked brow, "I called you a bastard… I've had my sword clashed with yours…"

"Because we're friends aren't we?"

"Who said we're friends?" Scion questioned a little doubtfully.

"Well I like to think of us as friends," Din laughed with a shrug.

'_Friends… that's new…' _

"Besides that, you're my student as well so I'm obligated to teach at all opportunities."

"Ha, funny," she fake laughed.

Her eyes were on Din as she saw him laugh to himself.

"Changing your appearance doesn't change your attitude, does it?" he laughed, blue eyes watching her wait with his smile showing through them.

That smile… it was a good sign. He wasn't pushing himself to smile or laugh. _'He doesn't push so hard when he's around me.' _Scion smiled inwardly at the thought. She was actually helping someone.

"I guess that it doesn't," she agreed, slouching back in her chair.

Din looked away and stared ahead of himself with a thoughtful expression. _'He's thinking about something… Is it a question? …A memory?' _

"You know… I haven't laughed this much since they left," he laughed without amusement to himself; his gloved hands together.

He had gotten dressed before they left… having been shirtless when he had stopped her from killing the lady.

"Since who left?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Asch and Sin… Things turned desperate once Asch left," Din mused darkly.

She saw him laugh as he shook his head.

'_Asch… Why have I heard that name before?' _Brows furrowed at the thought of the name.

"What does he look like?" she asked without thinking.

Din looked at her for her curiosity.

"You'd know him if you saw him," he laughed, "Red flaming hair longer than yours. If you saw him he'd have a small black haired girl beside him."

Scion's eyes widened at the description. _'I know them… I've seen them so many times…' _Her expression became hateful at the thought. _'Asch was the emperor for a while… and then the General of that army.' _Her hands clenched as she silently seethed at the memory.

"I know who they are," she murmured, eyes narrowed as she stared ahead of her, "…I know where they are."

"…R-really?" Din asked with an astounded tone, "Where?"

Scion paused for a few moments before she could answer. She couldn't believe that this place had a tie to Blue Abarath… That the reason her memories were flooding her mind was because this place was tied to her past.

"They're in Blue Abarath… They are where my home was," she explained with a cold, quiet tone.

"Blue Abarath…" Din whispered; still astonished.

She pushed herself to her feet and touched the clothes that were hanging over by the warm fire. _'Damn… not dry yet.'_

"What are you doing?" the blond asked curiously.

"Seeing if they're dry," she stated.

"Why?"

"So I can leave."

* * *

Din cocked a brow at those words. Did she mean leave for good?

"Leave where?" he asked; confused.

"Somewhere else," she muttered coldly.

"Like..?"

"It doesn't matter where."

He furrowed his brows. She was just going to leave? Just like that?

"If it doesn't matter, then why are you angry?" he asked.

Scion paused in her tracks at those words and she dropped her gaze. A few moments passed of nothing but silence before she turned back to look at him. He was confused with the expression on hr face. Was it… brooding?

"Why… why don't you come with me?" she asked; eyes locked with his.

He had to admit that the question caught him off guard. He hadn't expected something like that from her of all people.

"Where would we go?" he asked with a cocked brow.

"Sky's the limit," Scion shrugged the question off.

"Would you… take me to Blue Abarath?" he asked; tone almost doubtful.

If she hated her past… then she wouldn't take him there.

He could see Scion's hands clench and fiddle as she thought. He knew she knew why he wanted to go there… Why he would even consider it.

"I couldn't let you go alone," she muttered; watching him intently, "Since you've never left the castle you'd probably get lost along the way."

'_She'd actually… take me?' _

"Once my clothes are dry I'm leaving," she stated, "so you better be ready to go."

* * *

"Where are you two off to?" the innkeeper asked with a laugh, "You won't get far in that weather."

It was still raining as Scion ducked her head out the door. _'No one's there…' _

"Just going out," Din replied with a sly smile.

"It's clear," Scion told him before checking again to make sure.

"About the bill for the room," Din started, rubbing the back of his head, "Ask one of the maids at the castle. They'll get it to you."

"If you say so master Din," the innkeeper chuckled, "You two have fun now."

Scion grabbed the straw-blonde's shoulder and pulled him out the door. They didn't have time to say goodbyes. They needed to leave before the lady or anyone else got suspicious of Din's absence. Her brows pushed together at the thought of the lady of the castle. She hadn't been able to finish the job.

"_What the hell is your problem?!"_

"_You are my problem, you disgusting creature… you __**thing**__!" _

"_They are people, just like you are."_

"_Like hell they are!"_

Scion clenched her fists at the memory. _'She's not worth it… She'll probably die soon anyway…' _

Their feet ran quickly through the small city; through all the mud. There were no witnesses… they just ran to the exit of the city. No guards on patrol either at the gate. They were free to leave. _'This is so different from Blue Abarath…'_

"So… how do we get there?" Din asked as he ran behind her.

"Follow the road through the forest… It should take us there," she explained as they crossed the field to the forest.

The rain poured as they ran and it had merely slowed when they reached the cover of the trees.

"I guess it was pointless to wait for this to dry, huh?" Scion asked, panting as they stopped in the shelter of the trees.

"Kind of," Din laughed.

They continued to walk; having no time to rest. They needed to put as much distance between themselves and the castle as possible.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" the blond asked with some confusion.

"You said that she spent months… looking for that man right?" she asked him, "She'd do the same for you, don't you think?"

'_Or to just get the chance to kill me…' _Scion thought with a scowl.

"I suppose you're right," Din agreed as he followed her through the trees.

Scion only got so far before some small creature ran out in front of her… some small… monster?

"You… what is that?" she asked with furrowed brows.

It was jumping up and down… shouting some kind of incoherent nonsense. _'What in the world is this thing?' _

"Why are you calling me 'you'?" he questioned with a small laugh, looking over her shoulder, "It's a Cheagle… looks like it's trying to tell you something."

"Why me?" she asked with a cocked brow, "I don't even like it."

"Funny," he chuckled, "They usually run away from people."

"Mieu mieu mieu mieu!" the Cheagle shouted; arms going up and down in urgency.

'_It's a thing… What does it want?' _

"You think it needs help?" Din asked with a cocked brow.

"You serious?"

"Yeah, come on Scion," he laughed, "Lead the way little guy."

She sighed as Din ran after the Cheagle thing. She had to follow him… couldn't let him go off on his own when she was leading the way. _'I can't leave him behind either… If he wasn't going then I wouldn't be going at all.' _

"Where is it going?" she asked with a cocked brow.

"Probably back to its home," he told her, "Something's probably happened."

Scion scowled at the thought of having to help this small thing. _'It's so annoying…' _

The light green Cheagle brought them to a large tree where there were many other Cheagles cornered by a large catlike creature.

"Ligarre…"

"You sure know a lot for never being out of the castle," Scion muttered as her lime green eyes landed on the ligarre.

"I've been out," he told her with a small smile, "Just not out of the area."

"Very reassuring."

Their conversation was stopped by a roar from the ligarre and the squealing of the small Cheagles. The light green one that had led them there jumped up and down and pointed to its friends.

"Let's go Scion," Din told her, "Time for a real battle lesson."

Those words lightened her mood a bit. Training was good.

She drew her sword and prepared for battle. Din ran up behind the ligarre and pulled its tail to get its attention.

"You're aware that's stupid, right?"

"No," he replied as the ligarre's head turned back to look at him.

Another loud growl and Scion had to cover one ear at the sharpness. _'Someone's angry.' _She scowled when the large creature spun and knocked Din to the side.

"Yeah," he groaned, "That was stupid…"

"…Told you do…"

Scion gripped her sword before the ligarre lunged. Its fangs bared before she used her sword to block.

The force of the attack pushed her off her feet; having to use two hands on the hilt of her sword.

"I'm not the one that pulled your tail!" she growled, turning the blade sideways.

The sword cut where the lips met and blood came from the wound. There was a growl from the ligarre before a hiss of pain. Its mouth withdrew and it turned its head toward Din. His sword was driven into its right hind leg.

Scion was about to get to her feet to help when the ligarre placed its large paw on her chest. She couldn't breathe when it applied pressure and used its tail to swat and the straw-blond male. _'You're… so stupid…' _Scion winced as she couldn't fill her lungs with air. Her sight was getting blurred as another growl filled the air. It was followed by a hiss before the ligarre took its paw from her chest.

She was confused… What did Din do? Wincing, she propped herself up with one arm to see what had happened. The ligarre was gone… but there was a puddle of blood where it had been. Din's sword was held tightly in his hands before he turned toward her. A smile formed on his face as he made his way over.

"What… happened?" Scion choked, coughing at being able to breathe.

"I think I got its ribs," Din laughed with a shrug, reaching down his hand.

He helped her to her feet and she scowled openly.

"What's wrong?"

"Those things are so annoying," Scion muttered, turning and coldly glaring at the cheering Cheagles.

"Oh," Din laughed, shaking his head.

The light green Cheagle that had led them there tugged on Scion's pant leg. Her right eye twitched when she looked down. _'What is it doing?' _It was jumping up and down as if with a smile on its face.

"I think it wants to thank you," the blond laughed with a small smile on his face.

"For almost getting crushed?" she asked sarcastically, "And what are _you_ laughing at?"

"You," he laughed, shaking his head more.

Scion's lime green eyes glared at Din as the Cheagle jumped onto her shoulder. In front of her face was an apple – a thank you – from the small creature.

"Thanks," the girl murmured, taking the fruit, "I took the gift, can we go now?"

"Lead the way oh fearless leader," Din gestured with a chuckle.

Scion took the small creature off her shoulder and dropped it to the ground.

"Mieu," it mumbled when it hit the ground.

"We don't have time to fool around," she stated, "Her soldiers will be all over this place soon."

"I forgot about her," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

She sighed. _'Of course he would forget…' _She scowled again at the thought before turning and walking away.

Din followed after her. They left the Cheagles behind and walked steadily through the slow rain.

"Hey you," Scion asked; brows furrowed.

"I have a name," he sighed, "What would you like?"

"Why is it following us?" she asked.

"I honestly couldn't tell you," he replied, looking back to see the green monster following them.

* * *

Din couldn't understand why Scion didn't like the Cheagles. They were cute and friendly. They weren't understandable, but not that annoying. _'Who knows. Maybe she just doesn't like cute things.' _

They went to sleep that night with a small fire in the forest. There had been no sight of soldiers yet. So they had been safe for the time being.

Din groaned when he felt someone's foot nudge his side. It was dark behind his eyelids but that was disturbed when another foot nudged him again.

"What is it?" he groaned, half opening his eyes.

At first he didn't see much; just a blurry figure of silver and white.

"Wake up," Scion demanded; agitation clearly in her tone.

'_What's wrong?' _He wondered, sitting up in confusion.

Green was pushed into his face and he was surprised at the soft fur.

"Scion?" he questioned with a cocked brow.

"It crawled in beside me while I was sleeping," she stated, dropping the light green Cheagle into his lap, "It's your turn to sleep with it."

**End of Chapter 4**

_Thank you for reading. :3 Hope you enjoyed it. Please R&R!_

_halfdemon-kai_


	5. Chapter 5

_Yay! Chapter 5!_

_Please enjoy! _

**Chapter 5**

When Din woke up in the morning, Scion seemed to be gone. The little Cheagle was asleep on his chest but Scion was gone. The only thing that was left of her was an apple core. He sat up immediately with confusion. The Cheagle fell to the dead leaves under him and didn't stir.

"Thing sleeps through almost everything," he laughed before grabbing its arm as he got to his feet.

Blue eyes scanned around the forest area but they didn't really see anything except the trees. _'Where did she go?' _

"Let's go," her voice cut through the silence.

Scion jumped down from a tree and her lime green eyes were serious.

"I saw a few soldiers," she stated, "We have to make it back to Blue Abarath before they do."

"We don't have to beat them," Din suggested, "We could… cut them off."

"You want to fight your own soldiers?" she asked with a doubtful tone and a raised brow.

"If it comes to that then I don't have a choice, do I?" he asked with a small shrug.

"Not really, no," she said before motioning her head to leave.

Din could tell that going back to Blue Abarath wasn't the first thing on her to do list.

Scion had glared at him when he had asked why she was doing it when she didn't want to. She wasn't the average girl that one would find. Normally they would wear kimonos and were against carrying a sword. They wouldn't want to train to be able to take a life. There were very few women who would do such things. It was things like that that made him wonder… what happened to her? What made Scion turn out so cold?

Din followed Scion into a run, the Cheagle still hanging in his hand.

"How long ago did you see them?" he asked.

"Not too long ago," she replied, "so they shouldn't be too far ahead."

They ran through the trees, making only quiet noise on the long since dead leaves. _'Why is lady Nadelay going to such measures? Just appoint another General to the position…' _The blond couldn't wrap his mind around how the lady was thinking. Why was she being so… selfish? Or… was he the one being selfish? Running away when she needed a General's guidance… did that make him selfish?

Horse hooves were heard running across the damp ground. Were they cutting through the trees to get to the dirt roadway? _'We're cutting them off…' _He concluded when the two men on horses were visible through the trees. As they broke through the trees, he watched as Scion grabbed the reigns of the horse and pulled herself into the saddle. The soldier was kicked off in the process.

The horses stopped; the other soldier stopping to aid his partner. Din dropped the sleeping Cheagle on the side of the road before drawing his sword.

"Master Din!" the soldier protested as the sword was directed at him.

"What are your orders?" the blond asked with furrowed brows.

He heard Scion get off the horse and draw her sword at the other soldier. _'If the lady's orders are the same for me as they were for Asch… Then they're to kill Scion and bring me back alive.' _

"What are you talking about?" the soldier asked; playing dumb.

"What. Are. Your. Orders?" Din asked again, his tone cold with agitation.

He had known these soldiers for some time. He had seen them be foolish among other things. Few had been friends, and these soldiers were not them.

"To capture you both," the soldier stated reluctantly, "The lady wishes to torture the girl before the execution."

'…_Execution?' _

"Why not kill her here?" the blond asked, bringing the blade closer to the soldier's throat.

"Lady Nadelay… wants you to see what will happen… if you tried to escape again," the other soldier replied; Scion nearly choking him by the collar.

"He's not her pet," she growled before there was a thudding sound.

She threw him to the ground.

Din's free hand clenched as the idea of the soldier's words ran through his head.

"You have two options," Din offered, brows pushed together.

"You're going to give them _options_?" Scion asked with an agitated tone, "If I were you I would just kill them."

"Death is an option," he agreed, "or you can be prisoner to a foreign kingdom for plans of conspiracy against the emperor."

"I'd rather choose death," the soldier Scion had stated coldly, "I'd rather die than be accused of a lie."

"And you?" he asked the soldier in front of him.

"Prisoner," the soldier stated, "I'm not ready to die."

"Can you deal with him Scion?" Din asked, looking back at her.

It wasn't something he wished to force upon her… to force onto a friend. It was a cruel thing to ask.

"Kill him?" she questioned.

His blue eyes were serious. He couldn't just walk away from this soldier and go for the other. They could go back to the lady and tell her where they were headed. She would send soldiers when they had really done nothing wrong.

"I can kill him, since he'd rather die," Scion shrugged at the idea.

'_Has life scorned her so much that she has no regrets?' _His brows furrowed with the idea. He did not wince when he heard the sword cut through the flesh of the soldier. It had been his request… it should have been his job.

* * *

Scion pulled the horse to a stop when the gates of Blue Abarath were only a mile away. _'I guess it won't be very long now, will it?' _She asked herself with knitted brows. She wasn't sure that she was ready to face it all again.

"What's wrong Scion?" Din's voice asked from behind her.

The captured soldier rode on the back of Din's horse while she unfortunately got the small light green Cheagle. It held onto her jacket for its dear life; apparently terrified of horses.

"Nothing," she stated emotionlessly, "Let's go."

'_Just because I'm going there… doesn't mean that I'll see that bastard at all.' _

The horses took off toward the city gates. Scion's was in the front before they stopped at the gate's guards.

"Who goes there?" a foreign soldier asked, stepping forward.

"An old citizen," Scion stated coldly, "With two guests of the palace."

"Ah yes, I remember you," the soldier laughed, "You're talking now are you?"

She glared at him before he stepped out of their way.

"Be as guests and do not disturb the peace of Blue Abarath."

"Wouldn't dare think of it," Din mused as he passed the gate soldier.

Scion led the way to the palace where Din could get an audience with his once friend. Her hands clutched the reigns tightly at that thought. She wanted nothing to do with that red haired bastard. _'What becomes of me after this though? He will have them back… so where does that leave me? Where would I fit in?' _Her expression dropped at the idea of just being there to lead Din to this place. There would be no room for her in his life if that was the case.

"_Because we're friends aren't we?" _

"_Who said we're friends?" _

"_Well I think of us as friends."_

Did that really apply now?

* * *

They went through the crowds of people before coming to the palace. Din sighed as they had made it to their destination without many quarrels. In reality he had expected something worse. He expected more than a couple soldiers.

"This is it," he heard Scion state as she jumped down from her horse.

The Cheagle eagerly followed.

"Welcome to the great city of water; Blue Abarath."

The blond male had to admit that it was nothing like he had seen before. He hadn't expected the city to be that extravagant. _'Amazing…' _

"Can we help you?"

Din turned to see three soldiers coming their way. They seemed pleasant enough.

"Yes, we have a soldier that would like to enroll in your army," he explained with a grin on his face.

"What?!" the captured soldier asked with confusion, "You said I would go to prison."

"I lied," Din shrugged with a laugh, "So do you think you could use another soldier around here?"

"There's always a use for more soldiers," the soldier mused, "Take their horses and that man to the stables. He starts today."

The two men did as they were told and Din looked at the soldier giving the orders.

"Could I possibly request an audience with you emperor?" the blond asked pleasantly.

"It is doable," the soldier laughed, "Follow me."

"Are you coming Scion?"

"No," she replied coldly, "Take this thing with you."

Din couldn't help but laugh when she threw the Cheagle to him. He still didn't understand why she didn't like it.

He smiled at her and then walked through the doors; not looking back. _'She'll be alright.' _

* * *

Scion leaned against the concrete stair railing as her lime green eyes looked around the palace courtyard with the fountain. _'This was the last place I thought I'd ever be… The last place I thought I would ever come back to…' _Her eyes narrowed at the thought. Blue Abarath had been her home… there were so many memories in this place… eighteen and a half years worth.

"Eighteen years worth of good memories," she corrected herself.

That last half of a year had been dull and empty… That empty house being all that welcomed her. The sword she had been given stayed on the table for show. She never really thought that she would use it. She left home, left Blue Abarath far behind… yet here she was, staring at all the familiar surroundings. _'Just because I came here doesn't mean that I'll run into him… That red haired man can burn in hell for all I care…' _

Scion was glaring at nothing ahead of her, gaze staring past the fountain. An unsure expression came to her face when she saw it. The silver haired ligarre was walking in her direction; directly toward the palace steps. As it drew closer, her hand instinctively went to the hilt of her sword. _'What is this thing doing in a large city like this?' _She was confused at the sight of the creature… but would defend if attacked.

The silver haired creature paused before growling in her direction. Scion instinctively drew her sword. _'I didn't do anything…' _The fur on the back of the ligarre's neck stood on end; its fangs bared.

Then it attacked.

The ligarre ran straight for Scion before pouncing. She ducked to the side to avoid the creature's claws. _'This thing is really quick for its size…' _Its front claw came down and she used the side of her sword to parry the attack.

"What… did I do wrong... by you?" Scion growled, pushing the ligarre back.

The ligarre responded with a fierce growl before trying to bite her arm. The girl managed to shuffle backward to avoid the fangs.

The silver haired creature continued the onslaught; trying to get a good hold of Scion with its jaws. She blocked and dodged… not having enough time to attack back before it tried again. _'What is wrong with this thing?' _Thoughts were cut short when there was a sharp pain through the back of her shoulder and collarbone.

"You… bastard…" she growled through clenched teeth.

Blood came from the wound and Scion could feel it seeping through her clothes. _'Crap…' _She winced before beating the ligarre over the top of its head with the hilt of her sword.

"Let… go!" she growled, bringing down the sword.

The ligarre loosened its jaw and backed away from Scion. She was panting; resisting the feeling of the pain. _'Damn it…' _Her gaze wandered to the ligarre. Why wasn't it attacking anymore?

Her head jerked to the side with the sound of quick footsteps. A blurry, black haired figure was coming her way. A small figure…

They jumped into the air and Scion raised her sword to block. Their weapons collided and Scion parried the attack, throwing the small girl to the side. Her eyes watched as the girl flipped in the air before landing. Lime green eyes locked with a demonic orange and her eyes widened with surprise.

"If I were you, I'd stop fighting," the black haired girl stated, "You're wounded enough as it is."

"I don't need your mercy," Scion muttered before running at her opponent.

Metal clashed with metal as they pushed each other back. Scion could feel the loss of blood affecting her ability to fight. Her sight was getting blurry, her reflexes slower…

The smaller girl kicked Scion in the ribs; knocking her onto her back.

"At this rate you're going to lose," the black haired girl stated, "Or die…"

Scion dodged as the girl's blade came down into the stone. She rolled to the side before getting to her feet.

"That's what you think," Scion hissed.

She bent down low before lunging; driving her shoulder into the smaller girl's stomach.

The black haired girl fell onto her back and there were a few moments before she went into a coughing fit. Scion gripped her sword tightly as she watched the smaller girl. She was confused when blood came through the girl's fingertips. _'I didn't think that I hit her that hard…' _

Scion was shoved to the side by a large weight and her sword slid across the ground bricks.

"Sin, are you okay?" his cold voice asked from behind her.

Scion froze in her reach for her sword. She knew that voice.

Frozen lime green eyes looked back and there stood the red haired man. His back was turned to her; his arms around the small black haired girl. _'It's them… It's that bastard…' _Her teeth clenched together before she reached for her sword.

"_Excuse me, miss?"_

"_Can I help you?"_

"_We have a message for you from the palace."_

"_What are you talking about?" _

"_General Asch and the army have returned from the war. We are regretful in having to inform you that all of your brothers and sir Tepid have been killed."_

"…_Doing what?"_

"_All four of them died trying to protect their General from being captured."_

Scion held the hilt tightly in her palms; fingers clasped around it. _'It's his fault…' _She pushed her wounded body to its feet and she had Asch in her blurry sight.

"Sure," she growled hatefully, "Save_ her_!"

Her sword was blocked by his and his emerald eyes were locked with hers. _'It's his fault!' _She was pushed back before trying again; going for a side attack. Again her sword was blocked. She tried to disarm him, but found that he could get out of the situation easily. _'Damn it…' _

"What happened was not my fault," the red haired main stated coldly.

"So you say," Scion seethed; attacking again, "but you were the one who couldn't defend yourself!"

His sword parried hers and he kicked her backward. She slid across the concrete ground. She winced as she grasped her sword again and forced herself to her feet. _'I'm not going to give up… Not until I'm dead…' _

"Stay down," the red haired man demanded, "Don't be a fool."

"I'm only a fool… if you beat me," she hissed.

"Asch, you have to knock her out," the small black haired girl demanded.

"She'll knock herself out soon," he stated emotionlessly.

"It's the only way she'll stop," the girl continued, "If you don't she'll die."

Scion didn't care. If she died then she just wouldn't be there anymore. No one would be there to care.

Her feet took off toward him and he had her in a headlock before she had even realized it. There was a hard punch to her stomach before everything went black.

* * *

When things finally started to come to, Scion had never been so confused before. First thing that came to her was the sting of pain in her left shoulder. At the time it had been the most coherent thing to her. When she had tried to stir, she could hear dull voices and moving around the room. She thought it was rather irritating. _'Who are all these people?' _She asked herself with some annoyance.

Slowly, she opened her eyes to see a few blurry people in the room. She went to push herself to a sitting position, but someone protested.

"No, you mustn't move!" a strange woman protested.

"Leave me alone," Scion grunted, sitting up anyway.

"She's right you know," a familiar voice said pleasantly.

"…You?"

"Yeah," he half laughed; a different tone in his voice, "Why don't you use my name?"

She scowled at his suggestion. .

"Name's are unimportant" she stated coldly, "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing here?" the blond asked, confused.

"Shouldn't you be seeing what's-his-face?"

"He's busy right now. He said he would come by later," Din shrugged, "I'd rather come make sure you were alright anyway."

She scoffed, turning her head away. _'He's only with me because that bastard is busy.' _Her hands clenched the sheets at that thought… at the idea of being used.

"_Well I think of us as friends."_

"I got bit by a ligarre," she said sarcastically, "I'm perfectly fine,"

"I know," he laughed, "but humor me and lie down."

Scion sighed as she glared at Din. _'Why should I listen to him?' _

"Friends look out for each other right?" he asked, sitting on the side of her bed.

"I suppose so," she muttered before lying back down.

"We're friends, right?" Din asked with a thoughtful tone.

'_No…' _

"Yeah," she muttered again, "Friends…"

Her green eyes stared up at the ceiling. _'Am I being selfish? He has his friends that he has met before me… It gives me no right to want to come first.' _She winced as she accidentally moved her shoulder.

"How is she feeling?" a quiet voice asked from the doorway.

"She's wincing but she's as lively as ever," Din laughed pleasantly, "She's lucky he missed her heart."

'_Yeah… lucky all right.' _Her brows furrowed when she lifted her head to see who it was.

It was the small black haired girl from before. Her eyes were locked with Scion's and Scion dropped her head. _'Where the hell am I?'_

"Yeah, I'm the luckiest person in the world," she said sarcastically.

"She's lively all right," the girl laughed, "I'm Sin. I'm sorry for Kotone's behavior… but I guess that a simple apology won't do anything now."

"It doesn't matter," Scion told her, not meeting her eyes, "Wounds heal."

"Better hope so," Sin laughed, "Otherwise I didn't do a very good job of healing."

'_So this girl is the replica…' _

"Where are we?" Scion asked, closing her eyes as she tried to clear her head.

"An extra room in the palace," Sin told her pleasantly, "It wasn't hard to get you somewhere to rest. Asch carried you in."

'_Asch…' _

Scion's hands clenched the sheets before she sat up again. _'I am not staying here. I'd rather be as far away as possible.' _

"Scion what are you doing?" Din asked.

"Going home," she stated coldly.

"What are you talking about?"

Scion got off the bed and grabbed her sleeveless jacket. It was clean and there were no holes from the ligarre. Someone had fixed it.

Din stood in the way of her sword with furrowed brows.

"Move," the taller girl demanded; tone cold.

"Why are you leaving?" he asked.

"Move," she demanded again.

"Tell me why."

His tone was stern; he was set on an answer.

"It's none of your business."

"Friends help each other Scion," Din stated, "I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"I don't need help," she murmured, going to his side.

She grabbed the sheath of her sword before going toward the door. _'I'm not staying here… Not when he's so close…' _

She walked down the hallways; looking for an exit to the outside. Her brows were pressed together and her hands were clenched tightly. She had left Blue Abarath to leave it all behind… to get over the loss of her family.

"Coming here was a mistake," she whispered to herself.

She had done it for Din and to prove to herself that everything was fine. She changed herself before she left into that open world. She had been cold, cut her hair… changed her clothes… Was that not enough? Was there still more to do?

…How much suffering could one life take?

**End of Chapter 5**

_Thank you for reading. :D I hope that you enjoyed it. Please R&R!_

_halfdemon-kai_


	6. Chapter 6

_We're on chapter 6 now. :D _

_Please enjoy!_

**Chapter 6**

Din had gone through the castle a few times; checking almost every room twice over. Scion was in none of them; nowhere to be found He had asked a few guards, but they said they hadn't seen anyone with silver hair. His luck seemed to kick in though when he asked the guard at the palace gates. He said that he had seen a silver haired girl walk through with a hand on her one shoulder.

That was the extent of his luck. Scion had left and if she was still in the city he would have a next to impossible search on his hands. It was a large city.

He sat down on the steps outside of the palace. He could see the dried blood from a few days ago… what hadn't been washed away by the rain. _'She was unconscious for three days because of blood loss… She shouldn't be moving around like that… She could die out there.' _His blue eyes stared at the fountain in his silence. The thought of Scion dying… the mere idea just stung in itself.

"Do you think it was something I said?" Sin's small voice asked from behind him.

"I doubt it," he laughed without humor, "She just doesn't want to be here… didn't want to come here…"

"Something about Asch really set her off," the small girl told him rather thoughtfully as she took a seat beside him, "As soon as she saw him she went crazy. She wouldn't stop."

"Asch huh?" he murmured.

"He knows something, but he won't tell me," she continued, "I bugged him all night and got nothing."

"He's just as stubborn," he laughed halfheartedly.

"Sure is," the girl sighed.

They both fell quiet in thought. _'I wonder what happened to her to make her so cold… why she's so angry all the time… Scion, why won't you tell me what happened?' _His brows pushed together at the feeling in the pit of his stomach; the fear that something bad had happened to his friend.

"She'll be okay Din," Sin promised, "She doesn't seem like the kind of person to give up so easily."

"I'm getting comforted by a teenager," he chuckled, "the world must be in chaos."

"Hey!" she protested, "Just because you're an old man doesn't mean that I can't help you!"

Again Din laughed. _'Always has a childish response… but she's right.' _

"I know," the blond agreed, "I just can't shake the feeling that she's suffering on her own… that I could help but she won't let me."

The smaller girl put a hand on his shoulder in assurance.

"Even the most hurt person will open up to healing. A heart just needs time sometimes."

"You've grown Sin," Din admitted, "You've grown quite a lot with your time here, haven't you?"

"Din, you have no idea," she laughed without humor, "No idea."

* * *

The light green Cheagle walked through the busy streets. No one noticed it as it looked around the different surroundings and buildings. It was following something…a scent… It was hard to follow with all the surrounding people going in different directions.

"Mieu mieu…" the Cheagle murmured to itself; only semi lost.

It came to a building's door; it completely shut. The Cheagle being so small could not open the handle. Jumping to the windowsill, the light green Cheagle looked inside. It found what it was looking for. The girl was sitting on a bed, staring at a wall. Her back was to it, but it knew it was her.

* * *

Scion looked down at an old picture that she had dug out of her drawer. _'I thought I had it all pushed away… Every last piece was supposed to be gone…' _Her right hand grasped the frame tightly. It was a picture of her lover… of both of them smiling happily. She remembered the day well. It was the day that he had proposed to her.

They had been so happy… they celebrated it all.

"_When do you want to?"_

"_Once I get back Scion. We'll get married the day after I get back. I promise that we will."_

"_Alright… forever…"_

Scion glared down at the photo.

"You liar," she hissed.

'_I loved you with everything… I changed myself to forget you. I'm not who I was a year ago…' _She put the picture on the nightstand face down. She couldn't look at it anymore.

There was a small tapping on the window that caught her attention. Turning her head, Scion saw the light green Cheagle pressing its face against the glass.

"What do you want?" she asked, cold lime green eyes staring at it.

Again it just knocked on the glass window.

Scion sighed as she got to her feet and went to the window.

"Why didn't you just stay with Din? He actually likes you," she muttered, opening the window to let the monster in.

"Mieu mieu mieu, mieu mieu mieu," the creature explained, using its hands to describe what it was talking about.

"I don't understand you," she told it, shaking her head.

The Cheagle sighed before hopping over to the bed. Her eyes watched as it curled up to sleep. _'Is that all you do?' _

With another sigh, Scion went to the bed as well. She sat down beside the Cheagle before playing with its ears as it slept.

"You're lucky little guy," she murmured, "You can sleep through anything."

'_Some of us still have nightmares…' _

* * *

Din looked down the hallway. No one was there.

"Darn," he whispered to himself.

He didn't just lose Scion… he couldn't find the Cheagle either. For the light green creature he didn't even want to ask if it had been seen. People would think him crazy for looking for such a monster in a big city. Cheagles lived in forests and trees; not in cities of the people.

The blond sighed before opening his room door and going inside. They weren't anywhere. He figured that the Cheagle wouldn't be with Scion because she hated it… She wouldn't take it with her.

Sitting down and leaning back, Din sighed again. She had been so mad… so angry… _'If Asch really was what was bothering her, then what had he done wrong?' _His brows furrowed at the thought. Was it just a simple grudge for him saying something cold? Had Asch somehow insulted her family?

"She wouldn't take cold words to heart," he murmured quietly to himself.

'_Insulting her family… that she would take personally…' _

There was a knock on the door before it was opened. Din didn't have time to ask who was there before Asch came into the room.

"Sin tells me that you're troubled," he stated, emerald eyes locking with blue ones.

"Just worried," Din replied with a small smile.

That young girl cared about other people too much.

"That girl can handle herself Din. I wouldn't worry about it," the crimson haired man told him rather simply.

'_Yeah… not worry. If only it were that easy…' _

"She's wounded Asch," Din told the former General, "She has lost a lot of blood and if she leaves then something will kill her."

"She hasn't left Blue Abarath. She hasn't even gone that far."

"What do you mean?" the blond questioned.

Scion had said that she was leaving. She left the palace and hadn't come back yet. Where could she have possibly gone?

"If she hasn't left the city... then where is she?" he prodded, getting to his feet.

This may not have been as important to Asch as it was to him, but he still needed Asch's help.

"She went back to her old house," Asch replied almost emotionlessly, "She left gald to pay for it while she was away. We didn't take it away from her."

'…_Her house?' _Din's brows knitted at the idea. Asch had known the entire time and had not said a word.

Asch turned his gaze away from his old friend. _'There is something deeper than just a few insults… Something that I'm sure Sin doesn't even know about. Why hide that from_ _**her**__ though?' _

"Scion is keeping her space from the palace," Asch explained, crossing his arms, "It's probably best to leave her be. "

"You're not going to tell me where it is, are you?" the blond asked with almost brooding eyes.

"Give Scion a few days," the crimson haired man told him, "You never know… she might come back on her own."

Asch reached for the door handle and turned to leave.

"It's always good to know that you haven't changed much Asch," Din laughed, "Still only as caring as you have to be."

The former General didn't answer; just paused for a few moments before leaving.

Din sat back down on the bed and sighed. He wouldn't find them at this rate.

"It was a mistake to come here," he murmured to himself.

He should have told her that it didn't matter… that they didn't have to go if she didn't want to. _'I knew that she didn't… but I didn't say anything… I __**should**__ have.'_ His thoughts were brooding as he thought about it. He could have stopped this all…

The blond turned his head toward the window; looking out over the city. It was a large place… much larger than Valinsa. She could be in any one house and he did not know which.

"I'm sorry Scion."

* * *

Scion stared up at the ceiling; the Cheagle asleep on her pillow. She had to admit that the creature was annoying, but it really wasn't that bad. It was cute… in a way.

"I guess," she muttered to herself.

She wasn't sorry that she left like she had. She had a right to leave didn't she? Why stay in a place where you don't feel welcome?

"_Aren't you coming big brother?"_

"_No Scion… I don't feel like it."_

"…_Why not?"_

"_We're just invited Scion… we don't have to go. They don't really like us anyway…"_

"_Then I'm staying with you."_

"_No, you should go have fun."_

"_If they don't like you, then I don't like them."_

The girl sighed before closing her eyes. What was the point in coming back here? She should have just left and _never_ come back. Nothing bound her here anymore. She could leave again to start anew all over again. _'I don't have a reason anymore.' _Scion furrowed her brows for a few moments. _'Or do I have a reason that I simply cannot see?' _The thought was rather tempting to believe. She could have a reason that was just as invisible to her as it was to anyone else.

Scion knew she had a purpose; that there was a reason she was here once again. She did not believe in fate or destiny, but there had to be a reason.

A knock on the door broke through her thoughts. It took a few moments for it to kick in that she should answer. _'What if it's Din? What would I say?' _They knocked again; the same tone. This person was in no hurry.

"Damn," she murmured; sitting up slowly.

Her wounded shoulder throbbed with the motion.

As she got to her feet the person knocked again. _'They somehow know that I'm here…'_ She thought rather dully. Some people just couldn't take the hint and stay away.

She crossed the kitchen and looked at the door through the dim light. It was brighter outside than it was inside. The curtains were closed; just as when she had left. _'So much for not being found out…' _She thought dryly before twisting the knob.

The door opened slowly and lime green eyes immediately froze over when she saw who it was. Heart pounding with hatred, she went to slam the door shut.

"Scion-"

A hand stopped the door from closing. She turned toward the table to reach her sword. The door was open too fast though and he came into the old house.

"Get out," she growled, grabbing the hilt of her sword.

"Your arm is wounded," he stated coldly, "Such a heavy sword would be hard to wield with one arm."

"Shut up," Scion hissed, "Get out."

"Don't be such a child Scion," Asch told her sternly, "We're both aware that you're far from one."

Scion clenched her jaw with agitation. She didn't care why he was here, she just wanted him gone.

"They died trying to protect you," she growled at him, "You let them die!"

"What have you done to yourself Scion?" Asch asked with his own cold stare, "That woman I saw six or seven months ago was not like you at all."

"I used to see a strong and honorable man leading that army into war," Scion scoffed, "I can't say that that respect is there anymore."

Scion's fingers clenched around the hilt of her sword. She was angry to the point of shaking. There were so many things that could have been said… months worth of hateful words that could be used. She couldn't use them though, and this was her only chance to.

"Their death was not my fault," Asch told her; emerald eyes cold and fierce.

Scion wasn't afraid of this man. She would stand her ground.

"They respected_ you_ more than anything. _You_ were all they could talk about when they came home after training," she told him, "_You_ were their leader and _you_ let them die like you didn't even care."

"We lost a lot of men in that war," he told her, brows pushing together with his own anger, "You aren't the only one who lost someone out there!"

"I didn't just lose _someone_!" she growled back, "I lost _everything_! I don't see you standing without someone beside you!"

The girl's arms shook more as tears burned her eyes. All she could picture were the nightmares that had haunted her for so long.

_She stood in the battleground… one of the only ones still standing. Around her were her brothers' bodies and Tepid's. All of them were dead… Blood was everywhere but even through it all in the dark battle, one thing stood out. Across from her… there stood the crimson haired General. Her feet wouldn't move as he came forward. She couldn't leave where she was. Once he was close enough… his sword was driven through her stomach and he left her there to die._

Asch looked at Scion with his fierce eyes, not breaking his gaze. He didn't speak though…as if he was trying to calm himself down.

"You're right," he agreed; tone not as angry, "I didn't lose someone out there."

"How would you deal with that?" she asked angrily, "Why don't I take that replica's life? Then you could see what it's like to lose everything."

His brows seemed to furrow at the mention of the replica. _'Of course that would bother him.'_

"I may not have lost everything, but I know what it feels like to lose something," he explained to her, "You either move on or dwell off of it."

"I tried to leave it behind," she hissed, "What do you think I left for? To go out and attack an entire army for revenge?"

Asch walked forward to be at least a foot away from Scion. She glared hatefully at him. Why would he have to be so close?

"They all loved you," he told her with an emotionless tone, "They didn't go to war to fight for me. They went to war to keep _you_ safe. If you don't believe that then you're a fool."

'_I know they did… but they promised to come back… They didn't because of you…'_ Tears fell from her stinging green eyes.

"Blame their death on me as you wish," the former General told her, "but do not push that on Din."

The girl paused for a few moments before turning at the sound of the small Cheagle.

"Mieu?" it questioned with curious eyes.

'_Din… I left him there on his own… He must be worried about where I am…' _

"You must choose your future or your past," he told her, "Otherwise a friend will carry the burden and worry for nothing; just as the Cheagle is now."

Her brows knitted together before looking back up at the former General. _'My future… or my past…' _

Her eyes widened, as if she realized some importance. She cast a glance toward the door and then looked back at Asch.

"If you choose Din then you must tell him the truth," he told her, "It's no use hiding everything forever."

"_It's no use suffering by your self forever."_

"_What's suffering?"_

"_Living with three older brothers must be torture. I'd say that there's suffering."_

"_What are you saying?"_

"_I'm Tepid, young miss. Might you share your misfortunes with me?"_

"_Don't call me that! I'm not an old lady! My name is Scion!"_

Scion held onto her sword tightly before she ran toward the door. She knew where she was going… what she needed to do.

* * *

Din hadn't budged at all. He had actually fallen asleep for a little while. The only reason that he had woken up was because Sin had knocked on his door. She claimed that she had nothing to do and wanted to catch up.

"So why are you here in Blue Abarath?" she asked with a grin on her face.

"Long story," Din laughed halfheartedly.

It wasn't a funny story… he was just nervous.

"After you and Asch left, the lady went looking for you. She lost it," he started to explain, "Then Scion showed up and they went at each other's throats. So we left to go elsewhere."

"That wasn't so long," she chided, still smiling.

"Scion used to live here, so she knew the way… She didn't want to come back though and she wouldn't tell me why."

"It's okay Din," Sin promised with a pleasant smile, "She came back on her own. You didn't make her."

The door slammed open and both of them jumped. Din sat up immediately and saw that is was Asch. _'Why'd he have to slam the door?' _He wondered with confusion.

"Asch, what's wrong?" Sin asked with her own confusion.

He didn't look angry…

"Din, I believe that you have a visitor," the crimson haired man told him, "They're the one who slammed the door open."

The blond raised a brow at those words. Why would he have a visitor here?

Stepping out of the way, Asch let the person by. Din was surprised to see who it was; so surprised that he was on his feet in a moment. His arms were wrapped tightly around her and he could feel how tense she was.

"You, I… I'm sorry," Scion apologized quietly, "I shouldn't have left without saying anything…"

"I don't care," he laughed, ignoring the fact that she had called him 'you' again, "I just care that you're alive."

Her hands reluctantly went to his back and returned the hug loosely.

"I know," she murmured.

He let her go and blue eyes locked with lime green.

"You _are_ staying, right?"

She sighed, "I guess I have to."

A few moments later the Cheagle came running in happily.

"Can we feed that thing to the ligarre?"

**End of Chapter 6**

_Thank you for reading. :D I hope that you enjoyed it. Please R&R!_

_halfdemon-kai_


	7. Chapter 7

_Yay! Got to love that number 7. :D_

_Please enjoy!_

**Chapter 7**

"_He proposed to you?"_

"_Go Tepid!"_

"_Maybe he's rushing into it. The guy is older after all."_

"_What are you three saying? That you don't want me to get married?"_

"_Not at all."_

"_We just want to make sure that you're happy."_

"_Sure you do."_

"_Get married in the fall. The leaves are nice that time of year."_

"_We're going to the day after you all get back."_

"_That's a good time too."_

Scion sighed as her eyes stared at the dark ceiling. She couldn't sleep and didn't really know why. Memories wouldn't leave her alone… they kept plaguing her mind. The Cheagle, too, wouldn't leave her alone. It followed her everywhere… even to bed.

Her room door wouldn't close properly, and being tired she didn't want to go through the hassle of making it close properly. _'It would solve all my problems though.' _The door creaked open slowly and Scion sighed.

"Why can't you just stay out?" she asked, sitting up completely.

It was late at night and she was agitated. The Cheagle had already tried four times; each time she put it back in the hall.

It wasn't the light green Cheagle though… it was Sin.

"Sorry for bothering you," the smaller girl apologized.

"Oh…I thought you were that thing again," Scion sighed, shaking her head.

"Can I come in?" Sin asked quietly.

"If you want to," Scion stated, "I can't sleep anyway."

The smaller girl grinned before jumping onto the large bed. Scion cocked a brow at the girl's actions. _'Why would she come to talk at this hour?' _

"Does Asch know you're gone?" she asked, resting her head in her palm.

"Yeah," Sin laughed nervously, "I got up to leave and he caught me."

"He doesn't miss much, huh?"

"Not really," Sin agreed.

Things fell silent and Scion didn't know why the smaller girl had come to her room. Why give up sleep to talk to someone that wasn't going anywhere?

"So why'd you come here?" Scion asked emotionlessly, "You should be sleeping with that condition you have."

She heard the smaller girl scoff at her words.

"You sound just like Asch."

Scion shrugged. It wasn't her place to say anything since she didn't even belong in this palace. _'Where __**do**__ I belong now?' _

She furrowed her brows at that thought. There was only that empty house that she could go back to… no family… no friends except that straw-blond asleep in the other room. She couldn't belong with Din though… not here… not anymore. Maybe if they had gone elsewhere then they could have belonged. Elsewhere might have been possible.

"I uh… came to apologize," Sin said quietly, fiddling with her fingers as she seemed to think of words, "I kind of attacked you, too, without thinking. "

"Wounds heal," Scion murmured with a shrug, "I attacked back and look what happened."

The smaller girl seemed to laugh a little, "Yeah that's true. It was still my own fault though."

'_Why is someone so young fighting anyway?' _

Sin turned her head with an apologetic expression.

"Kotone must have sensed danger on you, so he attacked," she explained, "I just assumed that you were an enemy so I followed suit… It was a reckless decision. For that I'm really sorry."

"It's alright," Scion told her, "I apologize for what happened to you… but I'm not sorry for trying to kill Asch."

The girl seemed to raise a brow at her words. Scion didn't blame her for her confusion; a lot of people would wonder why.

She didn't want to tell her… but it wasn't like she had a choice. Somehow it seemed easy to talk to that smaller girl. _'Maybe it's because she's a replica… that she gives off the same feeling of home… of them.' _With a sigh, her green eyes looked to the side. How could she look at Sin and say the things she wished for no one to know? How could anyone do that?

"What do you mean?" Sin asked, "I didn't expect you to… but what's the reason?"

"Do you… remember that war last year?" Scion asked reluctantly; her tone quiet and solemn.

Orange eyes seemed to widen at the mention of the war. She would have to remember it… the red haired General had gone too.

"I had a family once," she told the smaller girl, "Three brothers… a lover… They all went that war; fought for Blue Abarath… fought for their General."

Sin's demonic eyes were watching as she listened intently.

"When the war was over… I got a message from the palace," Scion's brows furrowed at the memory, "All of them died… All of them were killed protecting the one who was leading them. Their General let them die."

Sin seemed to lean back in thought. Scion believed that she would have argued; told her that she was wrong. _'I know that I probably would… I don't blame her if she does.' _

"I understand that," the smaller girl said quietly, "If Asch had died… I probably would have blamed all the soldiers… I would have let them all die."

Scion turned her head to see Sin grinning and she couldn't help but smile a little too.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," she said pleasantly.

It had been a while since she had felt so light… since there had been a _reason_ to feel that way.

* * *

Rolling onto his side, Din was met with the light of the slowly rising sun. It was strange to wake up in a place that you weren't used to. It was his second night at the palace and he still wasn't used to the new room.

It was like waking up and panicking because you thought you forgot to do something. Then, realizing that it wasn't true… sleep followed after. He thought he had to get up and attend to things with the lady… He was glad though that that was not the case.

Sitting up, the sheets fell down into his lap. He looked out over the city of Blue Abarath and smiled at the sight. _'I wonder how many people would willingly give this up.' _His face became solemn at that thought. Scion had been trying to give it up… she had wanted to leave this place… to stay away from it.

"It's not fair for me to ask her to stay," he whispered to himself.

The straw-blond got to his feet before getting dressed. He'd go talk to her. They didn't have to stay. _'If she's willing to give this up… then so am I…'_

* * *

The door opened and a creak filled the room. _'Why can't things stay away…?' _Scion groaned into the pillow that was over her face. She had tried to keep the sunlight away; not having slept all night.

"Scion, are you awake?" Din's familiar voice asked quietly.

"Nho," she replied, mumbling into the pillow, "Nohw gho ahway."

"What?" he laughed.

She sighed inwardly before removing the pillow from her face.

"No," she groaned, "Now go away."

"Come on Scion, humor him," Sin murmured from beside her.

They had been up all night talking about random things. The smaller girl had wanted to know about Tepid and Scion's brothers. She had asked about other family members as well… sad to hear that there were none.

Scion found herself doing the same; answering willingly and asking questions about how the smaller girl had even arrived at Blue Abarath. Some of it was hard to believe… but she believed every word. They had talked for a while – till about an hour or two ago. Scion thought that the girl had long since been asleep.

Sitting up, Scion nearly glared at Din as he stood in the doorway. _'I hate not getting any sleep…' _

"Can we talk for a few minutes?" he asked, completely ignoring her glare.

"Is it personal?" Sin asked with a yawn, "I can leave."

"Yes, you absolutely have to," Scion replied with a slight smirk.

"Scion that's not very-"

"Technically _you_ should leave because I'm still asleep," Sin replied smugly.

"Yeah, that's why you're talking right now, right?" Scion asked doubtfully.

"I'm sleep talking."

"Like hell you are," Scion scoffed with a small laugh.

Sin started to fake snore and Scion couldn't help but laugh. The black haired girl followed after in laughter.

A few moments passed before Scion could look at Din again. He looked kind of bewildered… like something unexplainable had just happened.

"You okay?" she asked with a cocked brow.

"Yeah," the blond laughed, "Just saw something crazy."

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"I was wondering if you still wanted to leave," Din replied with a quiet tone, rubbing the back of his head.

'…_Leave?' _She raised her brow more at those words. Why would he want to leave?

"I don't care," she shrugged with confusion, "Why?"

"If you're not happy here… then we can go somewhere else," he told her with a smile on his face.

There was a flash of scattered black as Scion stared forward at Din. _'He's serious… why would he do that? He has what he wanted… so why would he give it up?' _Her lime green eyes broke out of their daze to look at the back of Sin's head.

"You can't leave!" Sin protested, "You guys have to stay here!"

Din looked like he had an apologetic expression on his face at her words. All Scion could do was look at Din with confusion. She was surprised when Sin's demonic orange eyes were on her.

"You don't want to leave, do you?" she asked, eyes looking almost worried.

'_I want to leave… but I know that Din doesn't. He's just offering this because he knows that I hated it here.' _Her brows pushed together before she turned to Sin with a small smile.

"No Sin," Scion stated, "I want to stay here."

Sin seemed to grin as she turned back toward Din.

"See Din, you don't have to go," the smaller girl said with a nod before hopping off the bed.

"Where are you going?" Scion asked.

"Back to my room," she replied, "You two can talk."

The smaller girl waved at the straw-blond as she passed him and shut the door behind her.

"Is that really what you want?" Din asked with a worried expression.

"If you can stay, then I can stay," Scion stated, lime green eyes locked with blue ones, "I just have to avoid Asch."

If Din was happy… then she could find another way to start anew.

* * *

He didn't want to push it on her. Din didn't know why she said that it was fine. She didn't look fine… not to him at least.

"Scion, we don't have to stay," he told her with a worried expression.

'_There's no point in living through a lie…' _

"I've seen them, I know they're safe," the blond assured the girl, "If you want to go, then we can go."

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," Scion laughed, "I'm just a woman scorned that's all. I'm just… broken on the inside."

'…_Broken?' _He cocked a brow at her words.

Din found himself going to the bed and he sat before her on the edge. His hand placed itself on hers and looked at her with a worried expression.

"What happened Scion?" he asked quietly, "What… can I do to help?"

'_I just don't want anyone else to get hurt…' _

Scion pulled her hand out from under his brows knitted together. Was she embarrassed by something?

"Nothing happened," she murmured, "Not really."

'_That's a lie. She's not looking me in the eye.' _

"Something is eating away at you Scion. You know there is," he stated as his eyes locked with hers.

Her lime green eyes glared at him for a moment. She seemed set on not telling him the truth.

She turned her head away from him and he couldn't help but sigh.

"I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong," Din whispered, looking away as well.

"No help can be given," the girl muttered rather coldly.

By the coldness… he somehow knew that it wasn't directed toward him, but rather something else. He caught her sigh before she looked ahead of her.

"There was a war here about a year ago," she explained quietly; her tone almost strained, "All of my brothers… Tepid… all four of them went to war… All four of them died in that war."

Din's eyes widened at her words. She had been grieving… trying to get over her losses. _'No wonder she's so cold.' _

"That bastard didn't protect them… so he's to blame," Scion finished, her tone becoming more filled with hate.

The blond didn't know what to say to her… at least not until he heard a quiet sob. He turned his head and saw her anguished expression as tears slowly fell down her cheeks.

"Scion… don't cry," he whispered to her, "You're not alone in your pain."

"But… but I loved them… so much," she cried quietly; hands grasping the sheets tightly.

"I know Scion," he whispered as he moved himself over to right beside her, "I know."

* * *

She opened her eyes with confusion. _'When did I fall asleep?' _Her brows knitted at the question. Her back was against something a little solid… and her head didn't feel like it was on a pillow…

"Mieu? Mieu mieu!" the Cheagle's annoying voice cried from in front of her.

The light green monster was pushed off the bed before Scion sat up.

Her eyes looked around the room and froze when they locked with blue ones.

"So you're awake," Din laughed pleasantly.

Her eyes widened and her back went rigid.

"_I just wanted to be strong… I wanted to leave it all behind…"_

"_I understand Scion. It's okay to feel like that."_

"_I just… wanted to be left alone." _

"Yeah," she murmured emotionlessly, "I guess I am."

Her head looked down with her back to him. In all honesty, she was embarrassed… embarrassed and ashamed. _'Why am I acting like this?' _

"Were you here the whole time?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," he laughed quietly, "It didn't feel right to leave you alone."

Scion watched as the Cheagle tried to climb back on the bed. When it got to the bed's edge, she flicked its head to make it fall.

"Scion… you don't have to feel ashamed of crying," Din told her with a gentle tone, "All adults cry sometime."

She felt herself scoff. _'Yeah… but they get over it.'_

"…Do you?" the girl asked.

There was a moment's pause before there was a small, humorless laugh.

"I almost did the other day."

Her expression dropped with those words. She knew why… she was the one to blame.

For a few moments, Scion couldn't think of anything to say. She had done as the crimson haired General suggested… She told him the truth. _'Maybe I should really just say I'm sorry…' _Brows pushed together with that thought.

"I don't know why," Din continued with a small chuckle, "I couldn't help but worry if you were okay… wonder if you were still alive or if something happened…"

"You say it like I'm unreliable," she muttered, "A ligarre bite isn't going to stop me… not after what I've been through."

'_I'd say until I got my revenge… but it's pointless now. I still blame him… but killing Asch wouldn't bring them back. It wouldn't even bring a stupid Cheagle back.' _

"Should I have more faith in you then?" Din questioned, humor lacing his tone.

"Someone has to," Scion mused, a smile present on her face.

She wouldn't let him see it. A smile only happened once in a while for her… but with Sin and Din around, smiling was contagious.

* * *

"From what I have been told, I see no reason why you two can't live in Blue Abarath," the Empress said pleasantly with a smile on her face.

From beside him, Din heard Scion scoff and mumble to herself. Mumbling about 'already being a citizen' with a scowl on her face. _'Sometimes I'm not sure who's more childish; Scion or Sin.' _

The blond couldn't help but laugh inwardly at the thought. If he told her that she would chase him down with her large blue sword without regret and gut him like a fish.

"You two better not cause us any trouble," the green haired Emperor muttered as his eyes narrowed, "We have enough trouble with that tiny replica around."

'_If Sin heard him say that then she'd probably chase __**him**__ down…' _

"I just want to point out that I already live here," Scion finally said coherently with an emotionless tone.

"Well if you're a guest of Asch then you're a guest of ours," the Empress stated happily, "We can move your belongings here if you like."

Din couldn't stop himself from turning his head to see the expression on the silver haired girl's face. Her green eyes were glaring at the Empress; he had no doubt that she wouldn't.

"Should I take that as a no?"

Scion didn't answer and Din shook his head.

"Yes my lady," he stated with a nervous expression, "I'd take that as a no."

"If you say so," she laughed.

He could feel Scion's glare from beside him. _'She'll get over it.' _

From the day that he had met Scion until now… he could see her opening up, if only slightly. She wouldn't laugh with him like he had seen her do with Sin… but she talked to him. She answered most of his questions now.

"Feel free to come and go as you wish," the Empress told them, "All we ask is that you don't disturb the peace here."

"Wouldn't even think about it," Din assured both the young Emperor and Empress.

'_I wonder how many people like being told what to do by teenagers.' _He wondered as they turned to leave the throne room.

Din's blue eyes wandered toward the floor and didn't see anything.

"Scion?"

"Yeah?"

"…Where's the Cheagle?"

"I flicked it in the head earlier and it fell off the bed," she stated with a shrug, "It's probably asleep on the floor."

He laughed at her reply. That thing did more sleeping than it did annoying Scion.

Things fell silent as they walked down the empty hallway. It had been kind of awkward since this morning. She had cried herself to sleep in his lap. She had wanted her thoughts to leave her alone… so she said she decided to leave them behind.

"Scion?" the blond asked another question.

He laughed when she sighed in annoyance.

"What?"

"How old are you?" Din wondered absentmindedly.

Another sigh that turned into a slight groan.

"Why does it matter?"

"I was just wondering," he admitted, "I thought it was rude to ask."

"What makes that different now?" she asked with some agitation.

Why would she be reluctant to give her age? He knew she was older than the small black haired girl… but by how old?

"…I'm eighteen."

"Really?" he asked, a little astonished.

'_I thought she was older.' _Her lime green eyes glared at him for the last question.

"How old are you?" she asked; more agitated now.

"Twenty-five," he laughed slightly.

"…Old man."

**End of Chapter 7**

_Thank you for reading. :3 I hope that you enjoyed it. Please R&R!_

_halfdemon-kai_


	8. Chapter 8

_Here's chapter 8. :3_

_Please enjoy!_

**Chapter 8**

Metal clashed with metal before she was pushed to the side. Her hands grasped the hilt of the sword tightly as she charged to disarm him. He parried and she was again pushed to the side.

"Why don't you attack for once?" she asked with frustration.

'_Damn it…' _

"Would you have a better time defending," the blond asked with a small laugh.

"It's hardly fair," Scion grunted with her brows pushed together in frustration.

'_It makes me feel like a fool… being pushed away so easily.' _Her hands clenched at the thought.

"A real enemy would attack first anyway," she challenged.

"That's probably true," Din agreed with a small laugh.

She watched as he flicked his wrist once before they switched roles. Din charged quickly at her and Scion brought her sword up to defend his strike. With her sword being larger than his, it was hard to disarm the blond. She parried and quickly swung the blade to strike near the hilt.

The precise strike knocked Din's sword from his hand and then she turned her blade to the pulse of his throat.

"Well done," he praised before she lowered her sword.

"Your sword is too small," Scion muttered, "I had to figure out a better way."

"I'm lucky that you know how to aim," Din laughed nervously, "I could have lost my hand."

"You're lucky that I don't hate you and didn't cut your head off," she told him emotionlessly; sheathing her sword.

Both her ad Din sat down and Din's eyes showed that he was thinking about something. She didn't want to ask out loud… he'd probably tell her anyway.

"There are sometimes more experienced fighters out there that don't just use a sword," he explained.

Her brows knitted at the thought of someone being able to use something more than just a sword… someone that could use their fonons and turn them into something.

"A person like Asch – for example – can control attacks around fire," Din continued.

"How would you defend against something like that?" she asked, annoyed by the idea.

"Not a whole lot," he admitted a little sheepishly, "Unless you can use your fonons to bring up a strong enough barrier, then you're basically dead."

"So he says with a smile on his face," she stated dully.

'_I wonder if he knows how to create a barrier… Or maybe he's telling me because he doesn't know…' _

"The only real thing you could do is dodge."

"That's pathetic," Scion muttered, "It's just a way to cheat to win."

'_It's just a way to be better than someone else.' _

"If you can control fonons then I suggest that you use them," Din explained, "It's either them or you in a real battle."

"Yeah…"

The palace doors opened and they both turned to see what was happening. The Empress – Dailiin – was coming toward them with a smile on her face. Scion's brows furrowed at the expression on the woman's face. She looked a little devious… like she was planning something.

"Hello Din, Scion," she called with a happy expression on her face.

"What can we do for you my lady?" the blond asked, just as pleasant.

"I was actually wondering if I could borrow Scion for a little while," Dailiin said as her brown eyes looked down at Scion.

'_Why would she want to borrow me?' _

Din looked at Scion and she turned her lime green eyes to almost lock with his blue ones. Her eyes were cold; she didn't want to go.

"We're done our training, so I don't see what the problem would be," the blond stated with a nervous laugh.

Scion's lime green eyes turned into a glare.

"Okay, it's settled then!" Dailiin said happily, clapping her hands together once.

Taking a hold of the top of Scion's arms, Dailiin pulled her to her feet and started to pushed her forward.

"H-hey!" the girl protested; fighting to go back to Din, "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry Din, she'll look nice and gorgeous in no time," the Empress teased as she looked backward.

'_Oh crap…' _

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Scion hissed as she was still being pushed forward.

"Oh come on Scion," she went on, "Those clothes and that giant sword really don't become you."

Muscles tensed and her face flushed a shade of pink. Who was Dailiin to say that she wasn't 'dressed right'?

"Don't say that you like them because it doesn't change the fact that I'm giving you new ones to wear," the Empress chided.

'_Oh really…' _

Scion ran forward instead of pushing back and took off forward. _'A bonus about me being dressed like this is that I can at least run away.' _She ran into the palace door and down the hallways. A bonus about not knowing the area… if she got lost, then maybe Dailiin wouldn't be able to find her.

* * *

Din stared with wonder as Scion ducked into the palace. He had never seen her run away from anything before… especially not someone like Dailiin.

"Why did she have to do that?" the young Empress groaned with frustration.

"Scion's not like a lot of women," Din explained, "She doesn't enjoy dressing up by the looks of it."

"Din, you know you're curious to see how pretty she looks in one of the finest kimonos around," Dailiin chided.

"I admit that," he agreed, "I _am_ curious… but good luck catching her."

"Oh," the young Empress groaned with frustration, "I'll have to get someone to help me."

The blond laughed as he watched Dailiin follow after Scion in a walk. _'Yeah… she's going to need help all right.' _Shaking his head, he put his hands behind his head and laid back.

He openly admitted that he was curious to see that young girl in a nice kimono. Even with a scowl on her face at the time she would look very gallant. _'Funny… how can a girl look gallant?' _The straw-blond asked him self with a small laugh.

Blue eyes watched the slowly moving clouds as his mind wandered. At the moment there were calm thoughts, but he knew that there were darker ones hiding… more morbid ones.

What would happen to them now? They had run away from lady Nadelay; escaped her poisonous grasp and presence… But what would happen if they came across Jimmy; that dead soldier on the path? Would lady Nadelay come to Blue Abarath in search of his killer?

Din's brows furrowed at the thought of being caught. _'Even if we went somewhere else… We'd always have to look over our backs…' _It was a rather sad thought; that they would be hunted down like they were monsters.

"What's got your face in a knot?"

Sin's head blocked his view of the blue sky and she had a curious look in her eyes.

"You're never really sad," she laughed.

The straw-blond couldn't keep the smile from his face at the smaller girl's curiosity. He sat up and looked at her; Asch wasn't too far behind her. The crimson haired General didn't stop as close as Sin had.

"Just thinking," Din laughed.

Sin thought about his words for a moment before looking around curiously.

"Where's Scion?"

"She ran away," he laughed lightly.

The smaller girl cocked a brow at his words before turning toward Asch.

"Maybe you should stop scaring people away," she told the red haired man with a rather serious expression.

Asch's brows pushed together at her comment, "It was Dailiin that she ran away from."

"How do you know?" the smaller girl asked with suspicion.

"Dailiin told me she was looking for her," the man shrugged, "I told her that she was here."

Sin turned her attention back to Din and looked more confused than before. _'I wonder if Dailiin did the same thing to her.' _He laughed to himself.

"Why would she run away from _Dailiin_? She's not a scary person," the girl stated aloud.

"Dailiin's trying to dress Scion in the 'finest' kimonos," Din mused, "She probably didn't expect Scion to get away though."

The smaller girl burst out laughing.

"Oh, way to go Scion!" she laughed.

"She can only hope that Dailiin will never find her," Asch stated while shaking his head.

* * *

Scion peeked around a corner in the palace hallways. She wasn't really scared… but she didn't enjoy being tracked through a large building. Her heart was beating fast from running. Guards– three of them – had tried to stop her and take her to Dailiin.

The hallway was empty and she sighed silently with relief. _'I can't go back to my room… That would be the first place she would look.' _Cautiously, Scion stepped out into the hallway and made her way down it. The silence was deafening and that made it all worse. Her hands clenched as her lime green eyes glanced around continuously.

Footsteps were heard coming from another hallway. _'Oh crap…' _Immediately she went to the side and hopped onto the ledge of the open window. Footsteps were getting closer and louder…

She looked down and sighed. _'I guess I can't jump from here…'_ A fourth story drop wouldn't be healthy. She slid and hung out the window to wait for the person to pass. _'This isn't exactly the healthiest idea either…' _Scion thought rather nervously.

The footsteps passed rather slowly… then they paused for a moment. _'Please keep walking… please keep walking…' _She silently begged. Another set came around the corner only faster before they too stopped.

"Have you seen Scion?" Dailiin's voice asked from above her.

"No my lady I haven't," a quieter woman said apologetically, "I'm sorry my lady."

"Well if you see her, can you let the guards know?"

"Absolutely."

"Thank you."

Scion's arms started to shake as both sets of footsteps continued on in opposite directions. _'Damn it… Hurry up already.' _She tried to pull herself up but her foot slipped on the stone wall. Her arms gave out and she continued to hang there with frustration.

"Crap…" she muttered.

Her boots tried to get footing on the stone walls but the stone was too smooth that they slipped. _'Damn it… Damn it all… I can't get up.' _

"Don't think like that," she murmured, "You can do it."

Scion tightened her grip on the ledge and tried to pull herself up by her shaking arms.

Halfway up – before she could fall completely down again – her hands grabbed the other side of the ledge to keep herself up. _'Okay… now I'm stuck… It'd probably be a lot easier without my sword…' _She had a dull expression on her face. The sword probably_ was_ weighing her down more than she would have liked.

"Damn it," she hissed.

"Enjoying your self?" a cold voice asked with some amusement.

Scion's eyes looked over and there stood Asch with crossed arms and a smirk on his face.

"Not really, but I bet you are," she hissed as she glared at him, "You'd probably love to pry my fingers off and let me die."

"_You'd_ probably like some help," he stated, still amused.

She scowled at the truth. She'd never be able to hide from Dailiin like this.

"I have no reason to help you though," the crimson haired General stated.

The scowl grew deeper.

She didn't want to have to resort to begging for help… least of all from him.

"Good," she muttered, "I don't need your help."

"Good," he stated, "You're the one who shouldn't be hanging out the window anyway. You have no one to blame but yourself."

"Don't push it, bastard," Scion hissed.

"I wonder what Din would think at this."

'_Din would probably help me you bastard.' _The girl thought while glaring hatefully at the crimson haired man.

"You're pushing it," she growled.

"Really?" he questioned before moving to the side.

There stood four soldiers; three upon which had already tried to take her to Dailiin. _'I am going… to murder him!' _

"Found her."

* * *

Din walked down the hallway, having spent more than enough time outside in mostly silence. There was screaming down the hallway and he paused with a raised brow. There was yelling and by the sound of it a few things got smashed or slammed or broken. _'Someone's throwing a fit…' _He shrugged at the thought before continuing on.

When he was closer to the room, he could hear the more distinct voices of who was actually shouting.

"Would you stop?" a woman growled; almost knocking something over.

"But miss-"

"I don't care if Dailiin said you had to," the woman growled again, "Get this off. I said stop!"

'…_Scion?' _He wondered with confusion.

"We're almost done miss," said a maid, "Please calm down before anything else gets ruined."

He was a little curious to see what they were doing to her; what they were trying to get her into. _'I guess that I'll just have to wait until their done with her.' _He laughed; not letting curiosity get the better of him. She would be angry and fuming by the time they would let her go.

He went to his room which was next to hers. Sitting on the bed, he listened to Scion's muttering and cursing in the next room. _'She's actually not breaking anything.' _That thought brought a small smile to his face. At least she had a respect for other people's objects.

* * *

Scion clenched her fists as she looked into the mirror. They had the long part of her hair done up in a type of bun with two chopsticks to hold it together. The shorter hair on her left hung down loosely and her bangs were pushed to the side by a barrette.

She was frustrated with the tight night kimono that was underneath the silk kimono. The under gown was a light blue and the kimono was pure white with light blue flower petals falling. The bottom was a light green design to represent the grass. Along part of her right sleeve and her shoulders was brown for a tree branch. On her left shoulder were all the flower petals still on the branch.

A scowl formed on her face at the sight. There would be no way that she could get out of this alone. _'Those bastards… damn you Asch! I swear you'll pay!' _

"Ah!" she cried in frustration.

Scion never thought that she would see one of these things on her again. She couldn't stand the tight feeling around her waist anymore… the feeling of heavy layers.

Kicking off her shoes, she turned to the door in her bare feet. She didn't care how dirty her feet would get; she wasn't going to make a fool of herself tripping down the hallway.

"Damn it," she muttered, opening the door before going into the hallway.

She couldn't stand that room anymore, not after destroying part of it. _'Teach them to guilt trip me…' _

Opening the door next to hers, she went in with a large scowl on her face.

"Well aren't you something nice to wake up to," Din's laugh said from the bed.

"Shut up," she muttered with a flushed face, "It's bad enough that **I** have to look at it, let alone anyone else."

"You're mad because you look nice?" he questioned with confusion.

"I'm mad because I don't want to wear it," she stated with agitation.

"Then why don't you take it off?" he questioned.

Her brows were together and she turned her scowling expression away; her blush of more embarrassment now. She didn't want him to see.

"I can't…"

"What?"

"The way they did it… I can't," she explained shamefully.

'_Those stupid… Gah! I feel like an idiot!' _

"I'd help you… but I'm sure that you don't want me to," Din laughed nervously.

"I'd rather suffer in this."

"The guards are going to stare," he mused with a smile.

"Ah!" she cried in frustration.

Scion heard him sit up on the bed and her fists were still clenched.

"Those bastards… I'm going to kill Asch!" she hissed with agitation, "He took my sword and gave it to Dailiin… He's a dead man once I get it back."

"I'm sure that Sin would be impressed by that," he chuckled.

"He's in so much crap, I swear he is!"

The blond got to his feet and she felt his warm hand turn her head toward him.

"Well even if you're going to kill Asch," he said quietly, "I think you look very dashing."

"Ah!"

Scion pulled away and went out the door; face flushed with furrowed brows. _'Men are so… annoying…' _

Shutting her room door, she went through the mass of knocked over and broken things and on to the small balcony.

"Stupid Din…" she muttered, leaning on the railing.

Her eyes stared over the city of Blue Abarath. Resting her head on her crossed arms, she couldn't help but smile a little. There was still a slight blush lacing her cheeks.

"Yeah… stupid Din."

**End of Chapter 8**

_Thank you for reading. :D I hope that you enjoyed it. Please R&R!_

_halfdemon-kai_


	9. Chapter 9

_They're still coming. Here's chapter 9. _

_Please enjoy!_

**Chapter 9**

A minimum of thirty soldiers marched down the road to Blue Abarath. They had found the dead soldier on the side of the path and led to the current predicament. As far as they were concerned, Blue Abarath would pay a price.

* * *

Scion groaned when the light green Cheagle curled up on her stomach to sleep. The sun was barely over the horizon and it hadn't left her alone all night.

"Damn door…" she muttered, grabbing it by the ear and dropping it off the side of the bed.

A moment passed before she was on her feet and getting dressed. _'I'm not going to let them get me today.' _

Leaving, Scion peered around both ways of the hall before bolting down to Sin's room. Asch was currently not present today, so they agreed to go around the marketplace. _'Din's going too, isn't he?' _

"Sin, are you up yet" Scion asked from outside the door.

"Yep, ready to go and everything," the smaller girl stated as she opened the door.

There was a tug on her pant leg and Scion glared at the Cheagle.

"You ready?"

"As ready as I'm going to be," Scion sighed before turning her attention back to Sin.

"Let's go before we get caught," the smaller girl ushered before running down the hallway.

Scion followed all too eagerly.

The two had become fast friends, considering both of their pasts. Sin had told her about what happened before both she and Asch had come to Blue Abarath. Sin explained most of what had happened with lady Nadelay… of how their life had currently come to be.

They made a clean break; making it to the city without running into any certain people.

"So where do you want to go first?" the smaller girl asked with a grin on her face.

"I don't know," Scion admitted with a small smile, "I'm kind of hungry honestly."

"To… the cakes shop!" Sin commanded, pointing down the busy street.

"Very healthy," Scion agreed with a nod.

Walking through the crowd, no one cast their eyes their way. They were dressed rather casually so no one would know that they came from the palace.

"Scion, what were your brothers like?" Sin asked curiously, looking up at her.

"Funny," she stated with a small laugh, "My two identical brothers were more or less the same; always teasing and playing jokes. They had their serious moments as well. My middle brother was more on the serious side. He'd scold me for getting into trouble when my oldest brothers would laugh and say 'you won't do that again'."

"That seems funny," Sin admitted, "When siblings are so different."

Scion smiled at the memories of them from when she was growing up. She hadn't always been like this… She used to be like her replicated brothers.

"What about… Tepid?" the smaller girl asked quietly.

"Let's go to that cake shop," Scion cut her off, pointing to the one right in front of them.

"Okay," Sin agreed; her tone still quiet.

They went in together and grabbed a table that was made for four instead of two.

"Sorry," Scion apologized, "I didn't mean to cut you off like that. I just really like it here."

"You used to live here, didn't you?"

"I still do… kind of," the older girl admitted, "Tepid was the one that brought me here."

"_How about we go to that one?"_

"_Why that one? Everyone goes to the other one."_

"_That's why we're going to this one."_

"_But the other one is good."_

"_So is this one, trust me."_

"_I hardly know you!"_

"_Stop being such a child and try something new."_

"_I __**am**__ a child!"_

"_You're sixteen!"_

"_No I'm not!"_

"…"

"_Yeah okay, let's go."_

She found herself laughing to herself. A day or a month ago… she would have hated that memory.

"So… Tepid brought you here?" the smaller black haired girl asked.

"He was such a fool," Scion laughed lightly.

'_Now that I think about it… Din's a lot like him…' _

"It wasn't really… like we were _together_ then. It was weird since I was sixteen at the time and he was twenty-one. It started out as an awkward friendship… He was so kind and gentle," she explained, remembering, "Such a fool."

'_He could say anything and I probably would have believed him…' _

"We weren't really together until a few months later and it progressed from there. Then we were together until that war tore us apart."

A waitress came with a smile and a menu.

"Just let me know when you've decided what you would like," she said pleasantly, handing them the menus.

"Thank you."

Scion glanced at the list.

"Let's go for… chocolate slices first, then raspberry flavored ice cream with a hard chocolate shell," Sin stated with a grin, "And a banana split."

"Can you eat all of that small fry?" Scion asked with a raised brow.

"I'm not small!" the black haired girl protested, "I'm just… kind of sick."

"Then should you even be eating this?"

"You sound just like Asch!"

"Fine then," Scion stated with a smirk, "Eat until you puke, I don't care."

"You still sound like him."

"Damn it!"

* * *

"What is going on here?" Syft asked with agitation.

"I found one of my soldiers lying dead on the road to here. I demand to know the meaning of this!"

"…A soldier?" Dailiin asked with confusion.

"How about you talk to my wife over some tea?" Syft asked, pushing Dailiin forward with boredom.

Their army was huge. This woman couldn't do anything except lose.

* * *

They both slouched back in their chairs. _'I could go for a bit more of that raspberry ice cream…' _Scion pondered thoughtfully.

"I thought you said that you could eat it all," she half mocked the smaller girl.

"I didn't think that the banana split was that big," Sin groaned, reluctantly taking another bite.

"Here, I'll eat it," Scion stated, reaching for the bowl.

"Okay," Sin stated, pushing the bowl across the table.

By the time Scion was done, she couldn't help but groan.

"What do you want to do now?" she asked with some curiosity.

"I have… no idea," Sin admitted.

"Want to just wander around the market?"

Sin seemed to think for a moment before her full stomach was seemingly forgotten.

"Could I… see your old house?"

Lime green eyes widened at the question. _'She wants… to see the house?' _

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't pry-"

"No it's okay," Scion laughed nervously, "I haven't thought about them this much for a long time… It's hard when all you did was try to forget everything about them…"

'_Kind of pathetic really… All I did was run away.' _She couldn't help but laugh inwardly at herself.

They paid their gald before getting to their feet. All that food and sugar would take them a long way.

"It's hard," Sin murmured, "You run away to leave it behind and all you can think about is them."

"Unfortunately," Scion agreed with a slight nod, "Especially when everything about you was formed around them."

"_You know that I'll do anything for you, right?"_

"_What do you want Scion?"_

"_I don't want anything… I'm just saying that I'll do anything to make sure that you're happy."_

"_That's funny. I should be saying that to you."_

The people in the street cast glances as they neared Scion's old house. Some were familiar faces… others weren't.

"…Scion?"

She paused with wide eyes. Fists clenched and Sin looked back with a cocked brow. _'Damn it… why is he here?' _

"… Is that you Scion?" the man questioned again.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Scion replied coldly, "Now get lost."

"I'm glad that you came back," the man stated quietly, "He would have wanted you to."

'_Yeah right.' _Her brows furrowed before she continued walking.

Sin looked at her curiously and had confusion on her face.

"Who was that?"

"Tepid's older brother," Scion stated coldly, "He was against Tepid and my being together… he tried to tear us apart."

"_She's not welcome in our family!"_

"_She's welcome with me. This isn't __**our**__ family anymore. It's __**my**__ family."_

"That's so sad…" Sin murmured, "I can go back and beat him up if you want!"

"No," she laughed, "He's not worth it."

Scion opened the door and let Sin in before her.

"It's so… homey," Sin stated with a smile on her face.

"Home sweet home," the girl murmured dryly.

The smaller girl looked around at the walls; her brows pushed together with confusion.

"Where are all the pictures?" she wondered.

"I took them down," Scion explained with a quiet tone, "I didn't want to see them everywhere I looked."

The smaller girl turned back to look at Scion with a serious expression.

"Was it really that hard?" she asked, "So painful that you wished it never happened?"

"I wanted to disappear… die along with them," Scion murmured with a solemn expression, looking around the old house.

She shook her head. _'It just ended up being a complete waste of time…' _

"But it doesn't matter now," Scion stated with a slight nod, "It's all in the past."

"That's a good way to look at it," Sin agreed.

'_I have to thank Asch for that…' _

Sin's demonic orange eyes continued to wander around the room. _'I wonder… I can't help but wonder on what she sees in him. I can't say that I disapprove because of the age difference… Tepid and I weren't the same age either…' _

"Do you keep any pictures anywhere?" the smaller girl wondered curiously.

"I forget where they all are," Scion lied with an apologetic expression.

"Okay."

Scion didn't know why they had gotten along so well… how they could tell each other so many things easily. Fast friends… but good friends.

"There isn't a lot to see here," she told the smaller girl, "Is there anything you want to look at?"

"Do you want to go see the kinds of swords the blacksmith has?" Sin asked with a slightly raised brow.

"Might as well see what kind they have," Scion agreed.

Yes… everything was in the past now… like it should have been on the day she left the first time. _'I choose my future over my past.'_

* * *

Din looked down at the small light green Cheagle and laughed. It was skipping along happily beside him. It had followed him when they left this morning… after Scion had left it behind.

"Why did you bring that thing with you?" Asch asked as he led the way back to Blue Abarath.

"You don't like them either?" the blond asked with a small laugh.

"It's an inconvenience to have around," the crimson haired man stated coldly.

"It has a free will," Din mused, "It would prefer to follow Scion but she just… pushes it around."

"I understand her feelings on the concept," Asch agreed.

"I wonder what those two did today."

"Tried to escape Dailiin's wrath."

"Probably," Din laughed with agreement.

* * *

Scion looked at all the forms of steel. None of them could replace her current sword, but it was always nice to see the craftsmanship.

"Hey Scion," Sin wondered curiously, "Where did you get your sword?"

"Tepid had it made before the war," Scion explained emotionlessly, "He was the only one stupid enough to wander into enemy territory."

"…Enemy territory?"

"Blue Abarath was named after the type of stone called Blue Abarath. The palace has a lot of it built into it. The only place you can get it is on the enemy's side of that war," she shrugged, "It's like a diamond only breakable."

"Everything about you… is based off that war, isn't it?" Sin asked.

"Pretty much," Scion agreed with a nod.

"No wonder you left…"

They walked back toward the palace with slow steps. They didn't want to have to cross Dailiin's path.

"Does she dress you up all the time?" Scion asked with furrowed brows.

"Unfortunately," Sin laughed, "I got used to it though. I guess that a city advisor needs to look respectable."

"It's hard to believe that you're the city's advisor. A fifteen year old," Scion murmured with some disbelief.

"I'm just that good," the smaller girl boasted.

"Yeah, that's why you lost to me," Scion teased with a smirk.

"Only because I'm kind of sick!" Sin protested.

"Okay," she half laughed, still smirking.

The smaller black haired girl took a swat at Scion and Scion jumped ahead to dodge.

"Oh, you missed," she laughed.

"I'll show you!" Sin laughed before swatting at Scion again.

"You missed again!"

'_It's so easy to push her buttons…' _She smirked even more at the thought before running ahead of the smaller girl.

"Hey! Get back here!" Sin cried before chasing after her.

* * *

Dailiin looked at the woman with some confusion.

"So what exactly is it you want?" the Empress asked; confused.

"For you and your people to take the fall for the death of my soldier," lady Nadelay stated before sipping her tea.

"But none of our soldiers are to blame," Dailiin protested, "Maybe it was a marauding bandit?"

"One of your people killed my soldier," the lady stated, "I want justice."

"But what if no one did it?"

* * *

They walked along together and laughed; making small comments here and there. It was easy to set them off, but usually Scion started it. It was normally a comment about Sin's small stature.

"Isn't it strange being with someone taller than you?" Scion asked with a crooked smile, "Like… hugging wise?"

"Wasn't Tepid taller than you?" Sin asked with confusion.

"For a few months, before we were even together," Scion laughed, "but… you guys _are_ together."

Scion felt the smaller girl's glare and she couldn't help but grin as she opened the door.

The grin quickly turned to a glare once the door was open. Four eyes locked with four eyes… only two people were surprised; Sin and lady Nadelay.

"You!" the lady exclaimed, pointing at both Sin and Scion.

'_And here I thought that I actually got away from her…' _Her teeth clenched as her hand instinctively went to the hilt of her sword.

"It was you, wasn't it?!" lady Nadelay growled at Scion.

"What was?" Scion asked with knitted brows.

"Seize them!" lady Nadelay ordered her three soldiers.

"Come on!" Sin demanded as she grabbed Scion's wrist.

* * *

Asch and Din had reached Blue Abarath's gate and Din saw Asch's eyes narrow.

"What's wrong?" the blond asked curiously.

"Something's happened," Asch stated with slight confusion, "They must… be in danger."

"What?" Din asked with some surprise.

'_If Sin and Scion are in danger… then we can't help them. We're on the opposite side of the city…' _

Din's hands clenched at the thought. They would never get there in time…

"Let's go," Asch ordered before taking to a run.

The blond followed the order willingly. It never hurt to try.

* * *

They left to the exit of the city with the three soldiers following behind them. _'I can't believe this woman.'_ Scion thought hatefully. How many times did she have to ruin things?

Scion was even more confused when the smaller girl's weapons appeared out of thin air.

"If we make it outside then we can hide in the forest somewhere," Sin explained before they got to the city gates.

The girl's brows pushed together. Why were they running away? They were just three soldiers… they could easily be taken care of.

They paused and faltered when they reached outside the city. There stood thirty soldiers or more…

"Damn it!" Scion growled hatefully.

"Well," Sin muttered, clenching her fists behind Scion, "If we're going to get our butts kicked… we might as well do it thoroughly."

"I completely agree," the older girl stated, unsheathing her large sword.

The soldiers from behind ordered the others to 'seize them'. Soldiers surrounded the two teens as they stood back to back. _'Damn it… the odds are completely against us…'_ Scion's fingers held tightly to the hilt of her sword. _'This must be how Tepid felt in the war… how __**all**__ soldiers feel in the war…' _

Soldiers attacked from their sides.

"You ready?" Scion asked the smaller girl.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Sin stated before they split apart; leaving space to fight.

Scion swung her blade easily; no soldiers blocking it. _'Stupid… They're idiots!' _Behind her she could hear soldiers screaming as they were being thrown to the side. _'So she can control her fonons…'_

"Why don't you all go home?!" Scion growled, cutting off a soldier's arm.

A soldier knocked her backward; knocking her off balance. A fist grabbed the front of her white jacket and the back of a hand hit her right cheek.

"You stupid bitch!" the man growled.

"The only ones stupid here are all of you!" Scion growled back, kicking the man in the stomach to knock him away.

Swinging her sword, Scion made a clear slice of the man's head. The body hadn't even hit the ground before another soldier was on her… followed by another.

These soldiers were on the orders to defeat and capture… Scion and Sin were being forced to kill.

* * *

Dailiin stood at the entrance of the palace. The strange lady had followed after her soldiers soon after they had been commanded.

The brunette was elated when she saw Asch and Din coming back past the fountain.

"What happened?" Din asked with confusion.

"Some woman came to the palace about a dead soldier… she blamed it on Scion and Sin and they ran away."

"Where did they go?" Asch asked urgently.

"I have no idea."

"Damn it!"

* * *

Scion clenched her fists as she lay on her stomach before a line of soldiers.

"_You can't say that again Scion."_

"_Why?"_

"_It's too dangerous. You're lucky that your bother's okay."_

"_Okay big brother… I understand."_

Sin was barely standing beside her; her legs shaking from the strain. Almost half the soldiers were either wounded or dead.

"Are you okay?" the smaller girl asked with frustration.

"Just peachy," Scion muttered as she pushed herself to her hands and knees.

Her sword had broken from the strain of the battle… cracked right in half. Without a weapon she was easily knocked around. _'Damn it… at this point I don't have a choice…' _

"Sin, I want you to run," Scion commanded as she clenched her fingers.

"No! I'm not going to leave you here!" the smaller girl protested.

"If I use what I want to… you're going to get hurt too," she muttered, shaking her head slowly, "You have to run… I can't control it."

Sin faltered in her steps for a moment as she thought about the situation.

"I'll be fine! Go _now_!" the girl demanded, "Go get help."

"You better be alive when I get back," Sin stated before running back toward the city of water.

"You can count on it," Scion murmured before pushing herself to her feet.

"Where do you think you're going?" a soldier demanded, "Seize her!"

Lime green eyes stared coldly at the remaining soldiers. She may have been battered and bruised… but she wasn't dead. Not yet.

"Oh lightning of mine, strike down thy enemies… Lighting Strike!"

The ground began to glow around Scion before thunder boomed from the cloudy sky.

Lightning struck the ground around her being… then the light was the last thing she saw.

**End of Chapter 9**

_Thank you for reading. :D I hope that you enjoyed it. Please R&R!_

_halfdemon-kai_


	10. Chapter 10

_Here's chapter 10. :D_

_Please enjoy!_

_- - - - Means time skip_

**Chapter 10**

Din and Asch ran down through the marketplace and the crowds of people. They had come to Blue Abarath from the opposite direction that the two girls had run to.

"There's Sin," Asch stated before running to her.

She ran into his arms and began coughing.

The blonde's blue eyes narrowed as they glanced over the heads of the people. _'Where's Scion?'_ He wondered with confusion.

Surprise ran through the crowds of people when there were many crashes of thunder and blue lights flashed near the entrance of the city.

"What the-"

"Someone must be using Fonic artes," Asch murmured with a grim expression.

Sin seemed to jerk to life with those words.

"We have to help Scion!" Sin stated, gripping the former General's cloak tightly, "She's in danger!"

Din's mind immediately told his legs to run and he was running before he had even realized it. _'I have to help her!' _He didn't care if Asch followed him. He would do it alone if he had to.

Surroundings were invisible. The only thing that mattered was making sure that Scion was okay… that she was alive…

The field was empty though... nothing but dead bodies, scattered weapons, and exploded dirt.

"I don't understand…" the blond murmured with confusion.

'_Where could they have possibly gone? Where… where could Scion have gone besides back?' _

"No!" Sin hissed from behind him, "They were all here!"

Din wandered forward a few steps to where there was the most exploded soil. He bent down and his gloved hands grabbed the two large pieces of blue stone. _'No wonder she needed help…' _

"She's alive," Asch stated from behind him as well, "We'll think of a plan and take her back."

"What are you talking about?" the blond asked, frustrated as he turned toward Asch, "How do you know she's alive?"

"_What are you orders?"_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_What. Are. Your. Orders?" _

"_To capture you both. The lady wishes to torture the girl before her execution."_

Din's brows pushed together and his palms held the broken sword hatefully. _'So that's why…' _

"We have to save her _now_!" Din stated, looking the crimson haired man directly in the eye.

"We need a plan," Asch stated, "They are an entire army and we are two men and an ill fifteen year old. There isn't much to be done like this."

"I'm not going to let them torture her!"

"I understand that, but our attempt will be in vain without a proper plan of attack," Asch explained.

"Asch is right," Sin admitted quietly, "We can't do anything like this."

Din's muttered incoherently at the thought. He didn't want to leave her to die without trying to save her.

"I guess… I don't have a choice…"

* * *

The echoing sounds of an object hitting flesh could be heard down the dark stairway. Only dim lights lit the single person chamber… the cell.

"I'll teach filth like you to steal my Generals away!" the lady hissed, slapping her prisoner hard across the face.

There was no cry of pain… no admittance of defeat…

"Why not say something replica?" the woman asked snidely.

"I don't want to lower myself to your level, bitch," the girl stated coldly, lime green eyes glaring hatefully.

Another slap across the face. Scion spit the blood onto the stone floor. _'I'm not afraid of this woman… I never will be.'_

"You're lucky that I don't use the Fonon helmet on you to obey me," lady Nadelay mocked, "but I'm tired of looking at your disgraceful demeanor."

"Good," Scion mused, "I wouldn't want to have to look at you either."

A back handed slap across the right cheek and Scion scoffed at the strike.

"Keep her locked up in here," the lady ordered, "Her punishment shall start tomorrow."

"Yes my lady!" the two soldiers stated in unison as they guarded the door.

The cell door slammed shut and Scion leaned back against the cold, damp stone wall. The musty smell of mold stung at her nose. _'This is what I get for not listening to you big brother.'_ She thought rather dryly. _'Maybe my suffering isn't finished yet… Maybe I'll spend my whole life suffering.' _She laughed darkly at the thought.

"Probably," she whispered.

Her hands were tightly shackled behind her back. She wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

* * *

Din stared at the dark ceiling. He couldn't sleep… not at the moment. They had hardly even talked about the plan. All three seemed to have lost their voices on the way back to the palace.

"I can't believe this," he muttered to himself, rolling onto his side.

"_We'll discuss this fully tomorrow."_

"_What?! We have to save her!"_

"_Sin and I have to report this to Dailiin and Syft. You need time to calm down."_

"_It'll be okay Din. Scion… wouldn't want you to get hurt as well."_

"_I know Sin… I know…"_

The blonde's door creaked open slowly.

"…Mieu?" the light green Cheagle asked with a solemn tone.

It jumped onto the bed before climbing onto Din's chest.

"Yeah," he murmured, "I miss her too."

He patted the small creature's head lightly.

"Kind of funny on how… empty it feels without her here," Din laughed humorlessly, "Considering on how short a time we've known her…"

Scion's broken sword lie on the dresser not too far from his bed. His blue eyes looked toward the blade; only able to see a dark outline of it.

"Mieu," the Cheagle seemed to murmur in agreement; nodding his head.

"I'll get her back," he whispered, "I promise."

* * *

A whip cracked from the dungeon. She could feel the blood trickling down her back through the stinging of the pain. Her fingers clenched together; nails digging into her palms.

"You are worthless!" the lady growled, swinging the whip again, "A completely worthless _thing_!"

'_That's not true… That's not true!' _She screamed in her mind.

"Din doesn't want you. He wants me," lady Nadelay continued hatefully, swinging the whip once again, "You will always be nothing compared to me!"

"Good!" Scion growled back.

The whip cracked again and the muscles tensed in Scion's back with the lash of pain. _'One day… if I get out of this alive… I'm going to kill this woman.' _She winced as pain scorched at the top of her back. Her eyes narrowed as her vision began to blur.

"Damn it," she quietly hissed before she was dropped to the floor.

The two soldiers left, leaving lady Nadelay and Scion alone. _'What the hell does she want now?'_ Scion asked herself, frustrated and angry. She felt a hand grab her hair and turn her head upward.

"Don't forget your place," lady Nadelay mused, "You never were worth more than dirt."

Inside Scion seethed as the blurry figure of the woman disappeared behind the wooden cell door. _'I'm not going to break… not to this woman.' _She thought as her eyes slowly drifted shut.

She knew that she wasn't a nobody… that she had been worth something to someone. She was strong, and didn't want to lose to a woman that had easily lost her mind.

* * *

- - - -

Days had passed and Din had grown frustrated with not being able to come up with a hole-less plan. Each idea had been easily thwarted by the other. Some ideas came up twice, only to fail again.

"We have an entire army," Sin stated, fingers clutching the battle plan table, "I don't see why we can't just invade her manor and take Scion back. If there's an act of war we could easily win."

Asch shook his head with an exhausted sigh.

"We don't want another war Sin," he stated, looking down at the map as well.

Din hadn't been much of one for planning. He was used to making it up as he went along.

"I could just go back to get her and negotiate," Din suggested with a quiet tone.

'_I don't want to go back to that place… but if it would save Scion's life, then I would gladly do it.' _

"She'd make you her prisoner and kill Scion," Sin stated with her own sigh, "The moment you come back she wins."

"It's more than winning and losing right now," Din muttered to himself.

"Sin is right," Asch agreed, "She'll kill Scion on sight."

Din shook his head. _'This isn't good enough.' _Closing his eyes, he placed his face in his palms.

"Sin could you go ask Syft if all the weapons have been checked recently?" Asch asked the smaller girl.

"I guess so," she agreed with some confusion.

"Thank you."

The door shut behind Sin and the crimson haired man turned toward Din.

"I can't take this Asch," the blond murmured, dropping his hands, "After all the things that have happened… I _need_ to help her."

"She's not a child Din. I understand that you wish to help her suffering," Asch stated as he took a seat at the table, "but I don't want to save one life while destroying many others. We need an effective plan and unfortunately it's taking time."

Din's brows pushed together. Inside he could feel it. He was willing to risk the lives of many to save just one… She was worth it to him.

"Too long," the blond stated.

"If revenge is what lady Nadelay desires then simply killing Scion wouldn't be enough," the former General stated thoughtfully, "Revenge and torture are a long process. There's a large chance that she will still be alive by the time we save her."

'_By the time… I don't want to live off of just a chance…'_

"The main thing is that you're trying Din… we're all trying."

"Yeah… I guess so…"

* * *

- - - -

Scion stared blankly at the dark ceiling; nothing really running through her mind. She had reawakened from the given punishment from the lady. She always did it personally; never once gave up the chance to 'teach Scion a lesson'.

'_How long have I been here?' _She asked herself with some confusion. Being underground with no outside window made it hard to keep track of the time. _'I receive a beating a day… don't I?' _

Confusion seemed to be one of the only things she could remember how to feel. Emptiness and feeling useless… Scion never thought that she would experience that again. Here it was… ruling over her in this dark prison cell.

'_Let's see… One… two… seven…' _Her brows furrowed at the thought. Fifteen times? That didn't seem right. Fifteen days of being locked up in this dark void cell… How many more of her days were numbered?

Closing her eyes, Scion tried to drift back to sleep. _'Din… I'm really happy that I go to meet you… I'm sorry that I wasn't a better friend.' _

* * *

Din dressed silently in the dimly lit room. It had been fifteen days… sixteen by the time he would reach Valinsa… There was no more time for insufficient plans to be half plotted and then given up on. He couldn't take much more of this anxiety. He wanted Scion back, and he wanted her _alive_.

The blond silently left his room and went through the dark halls. By the time he had made it to the outside steps, the Cheagle had been waiting at the steps for him.

"Mieu?" it questioned with a confused face.

"Come along then," he ushered quietly.

The light green Cheagle jumped onto his shoulder with agreement.

Din ran through the dark empty streets as quickly as his feet would take him. _'I need to reach the stable and borrow a horse. A horse can get me there faster than my own legs.' _

"I know you're scared, but if you want to help then it's the only way," the blond told the Cheagle sternly.

He was in a hurry now.

"Mieu mieu, mieu!"

He felt tiny fingers grasp at his shoulder and couldn't help but smile a little. _'At least I'm not the only one willing to risk everything for her.' _Din grasped the reigns of the horse tightly in his palms.

Before he could even make the horse go, Din looked back at the palace with the same small smile on his face.

"I'm sorry Asch," he whispered, "but I can't wait around this place anymore while she's suffering… You'd do the same for Sin."

His boots tapped the horse's ribs to make it start running toward the exit of Blue Abarath… toward Valinsa.

* * *

Scion's nails dug into her palms as the whip cracked against her back. It had stung more than the very first time; having cut through her previous scabs. She could hear a high pitched ringing in her ears and could feel numbness creeping into her limbs. _'Damn it… Only three lashes and I can't take anymore…' _She thought with a bitter scowl on her face.

Her body was weakening… it was going through too much at once and she knew. She knew that lady Nadelay was slowly killing her.

"Why don't you apologize and beg for forgiveness?" the lady growled before cracking the whip again.

Scion didn't reply. She hadn't spoken in many days. There wasn't anything else to say.

It didn't matter what she replied with, the insufferable woman wouldn't listen. She told her that Din didn't want either of them, that he could go where he wished. Lady Nadelay didn't believe her, called her a lying creature… a treacherous and hated being. So she decided; it was no use.

The feeling in Scion's legs disappeared and the two soldiers let her collapse forward.

"You're pathetic," the lady laughed darkly, "We'll try to use the helmet tonight."

'_Damn it… damn it!' _Scion growled at herself in her head. Her vision blurred as she furrowed her brows. _'Why are you so useless?' _

"_Why did you read it out loud Scion?"_

"_I-"_

"_Don't read from this book ever again. It's dangerous to both you and others around you."_

"_But I-"_

"_Please Scion promise me you'll never use this arte again."_

"…_I promise."_

Weakly, Scion closed her eyes. _'I broke my promise and used it to kill people… Maybe when I die I won't see all four of you after all.' _A grim smile appeared on her face before she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Blue eyes looked at the large manor lit by the moonlight. _'I have to hurry…' _He quietly ran to the side of the entrance doors.

"Why does she have to use this thing?" a soldier asked.

The blond froze with his back to the wall at the sudden voice.

"She wants to control that replica in the dungeon," another soldier stated, "For revenge I guess."

"Didn't she learn her lesson last time?"

"Guess not."

Din's brows pushed together with wonder. _'She's going to use the Fonon helmet on Scion? Would that even work?' _He didn't know… but he didn't want to chance it.

"Okay little guy," he whispered to the quiet Cheagle on his shoulder, "I need you to get that helmet and create a distraction."

"Mieu," the Cheagle chimed quietly.

The light green Cheagle immediately jumped to the ground before going into action.

"Mieu mieu mieu, mieu!" the creature seemed to laugh as it jumped through the soldier's arms.

Grabbing the helmet, it ran through the open doors and disappeared from Din's sight.

"Hey!" one soldier hissed.

"G-get back here!" the other soldier demanded; both chasing it inside.

Din waited as footsteps sounded up the stone stairs. He didn't want to get caught. _'Alright… I think it's safe.' _Silently, he opened the door and turned the corner. He still remembered every turn and picture. He knew where Scion was being kept.

Behind him, Din heard the shouting of Lady Nadelay on the floor above. He shuddered at the sound. _'I almost forgot what she sounded like…' _The dungeon door creaked as he pushed it open; footsteps echoing down the stone hallway.

"Who's there?"

* * *

Slashing sounds… a dull clang against stone… She was disoriented.

Her green eyes opened halfway; sight blurry. At first she thought she heard her name… but she wasn't sure. The kind of yellow hair made her confused as it came closer.

"Sci…on," a voice said through the ringing, "Scio…n."

"…Din?"

Her own voice sounded hoarse to her ears.

"Hold on Scion," his voice said gently, "I'll get you out of here."

"Din… can we go home?" Scion asked; head rolling to the side.

"Of course we can."

Somehow… she felt assured that things would be alright now. Inside she felt the comfort of knowing that someone had come for her; that she wasn't going to die in the dark cell. _'Not alone…'_

She winced as his arms slipped underneath her back.

"Please…" she whimpered.

"It'll be okay now Scion," his voice assured her, "I promise."

* * *

He couldn't believe her condition… couldn't believe the amount of blood he found on the back of her white jacket. _'What did she do to you?' _Din's brows furrowed before taking her back up the stairs.

The Cheagle ran by the doorway, using the helmet to deflect an arrow.

"So this Cheagle belongs to you," the lady's voice stated coldly from the stairs.

He didn't answer, just glared at the woman. The amount of betrayal he felt toward the lady was disgusting to him. He had once had feelings for this woman and now could not come up with a reason as to why. Betrayal, anguish… hate… all of them were present inside his being.

"Why won't you come back Din?" she asked with a gentle expression, "I'll forgive you if you just leave that _thing_ down there."

Din's fist clenched at her words. Scion was no thing… she was a person. Placing her unconscious body against the wall, Din looked up at the lady.

"I do not wish for your forgiveness," he stated as he swiftly drew his sword, "The only forgiveness I desire is from the one behind me."

"Is that right?" the lady asked before readying her bow, "Then you can die along with that filthy creature."

The blond raised his sword to fight. He would defend his friend's right to live… even if it meant that he lost his.

**End of Chapter 10**

_Thank you for reading. :D I hope that you enjoyed it. Please R&R!_

_halfdemon-kai_


	11. Chapter 11

_I really like chapter 11… _

_Please enjoy!_

**Chapter 11**

His blade sliced through the arrows that were shot at him. They split and fell around him.

"You were a good General, Din," the lady stated, "It's a shame that you turned traitor."

"It's a shame that you lost your mind," he stated, blocking another arrow.

'_What should I do? I can't just kill her… There aren't many choices…' _

His expression was serious as she took a shot toward Scion. His body instinctively took a step to block it with itself. The arrow stabbed him in the stomach and he winced.

"I'm sorry Din my love, but you need to learn your lesson," lady Nadelay said sadly, directing another arrow at his head.

'_Damn it!' _He reached back and grabbed the Fonon helmet from the Cheagle.

His feet moved quickly across the stone floor. The arrow followed his movements until he was at a close range. It was a swift movement, but the thudding sound made it clear that he had hit his target.

The Fonon helmet sat on lady Nadelay's head; blocking sight of her face. She started screaming; from pain he assumed.

"Now you know how it feels," he stated coldly as she fell down with her hands on the helmet, trying to remove it.

Din ignored the woman's screams as his hand grasped the wooden arrow sticking out of his stomach. The pain seemed insignificant compared to Scion's. Ripping the arrow out and dropping it to the floor… he went to the girl's aid. Picking her up in his arms, he left the large castle behind.

* * *

It was the middle of the night and nothing was open. He didn't care. He needed a healer of some sort and the inn in Valinsa was the only place he could go; being the closest place to the castle.

"Can I help you master Din?" a man asked from the side, toward the inn.

"Do you know where the nearest healer is?" Din asked urgently.

"She's across the town, why?" the man questioned.

The blond jumped down from the horse with the unconscious girl on his back and the Cheagle sitting on hers.

"I need her immediately," he stated.

"If you don't mind me taking your horse then I can go get her for you if you like," the man offered, stepping forward.

"Please do," Din murmured before going toward the inn.

"I'll be sure to bring her back."

They traded places and the blond walked into the warm inn.

Blue eyes glanced at the neat place; the same inn they had stayed in before they had left. A woman smiled at him when their eyes met.

"Can I help you master Din?" she questioned pleasantly, "Your friend looks like she could use some rest."

"Yes, the royal room please," he said rather quietly.

"Of course," the woman agreed, "Here's the key."

"Thank you."

He went up the stairs to the second floor. Opening the door, he went to the bedroom where the bed was. Gently, he placed the unconscious girl on the bed. She groaned at the motion.

"…Din?" she murmured with confusion.

"It's okay now Scion," he assure her, "Someone's coming to heal you."

"Are we… home now?"

"Almost," he whispered, "Once you're better we'll go home."

He smiled softly at the wounded girl. She was finally calling him by his name. The only thing that bothered him was that it was under such circumstances…

Her breathing steadied and he knew that she was asleep again. His eyes looked away from her in shame. _'I should have made it to you sooner… I'm sorry.' _

A knock on the door disturbed his thoughts and caught his attention

"It's the healer," the man from before stated on the other side of the door.

The door opened without Din's answer and a woman older than him self walked in. She looked wise for her age.

"Is this the girl?" she questioned with interest.

"I think most of her wounds are on her back," he explained with a quiet tone, "She only moved when I touched her."

The woman moved Scion onto her stomach and saw the amount of blood dried to the clothes. Din moved to the other bed and stared up at the ceiling. _'She'd kill me if she ever found out that I saw her like that.' _Even through all the shame and distress about what had happened… he still felt relieved that she was alive; that she was mildly okay.

* * *

Four days passed and Scion hadn't moved. Her back was bare as she lay on her stomach with her head facing the side. Din didn't leave the room. His eyes couldn't leave the large scabs on her back. Even with the help of the healer, the marks weren't completely healed.

He hadn't noticed the whip marks on her arms. They looked like white stripes, four of them spaced out evenly on each arm. They had healed over completely; leaving scars. Kotone's bite marks had healed as well, leaving their own scars.

It was… disheartening to see so many wounds and scars on a single person. The man that had retrieved the healer came back a few times to check how the girl was doing. He was alone with the Cheagle though… he wanted to be alone.

"Mieu mieu," the light green Cheagle murmured.

"Yeah, I know," he whispered, bending over the chair to put his head in his palms.

It was too silent in the room… so much that it was deafening.

"Ugh," a groan came from Scion's lips.

He didn't look up; assuming that she was just groaning in her sleep. When the sheets began to rustle, he was really confused.

There was a sigh that caught his attention. Lifting his head, he caught sight of Scion's fingers grasping the sheets underneath her.

"…Scion?" he questioned with confusion.

She didn't answer as her muscles in her arms seemed to tense.

"…Scion?" he questioned again.

It bothered him that her face was facing away from him. His expression was solemn as he watched her. _'You must be in such agony…'_

* * *

Scion had wanted him out of the bedroom. He was out on the couch. She didn't want him watching over her… not like this. It was shameful being seen in such a weak state. _'It's my fault that he had to come all that way…' _She thought with solemn eyes. She couldn't bring herself to speak.

'_I feel… broken… like I should be dead.' _Her fingers grasped the sheets tightly with frustration. She had been beaten, taken prisoner, and caused Din to go out of his way. _'I should have stuck to my past. I can't cause the dead trouble…' _A wry smile formed on her face. She knew that once she was healed she would go back with Din… that they were in too deep together.

"Friends…" she whispered.

* * *

Din heard the bedroom door open.

"Yes?"

It opened slowly and he was surprised to see the healer standing there.

"I just healed the girl again," she explained, "She's able to move around on her own, so whenever you're ready to leave you can."

"Thank you," he nodded with a small smile, "It really means a lot."

"You're a good friend master Din," she told him, "Not everyone would risk their life to save someone else's."

"She's worth it," he murmured.

"Well it's been my pleasure."

The healer nodded with a smile before leaving the room. He couldn't help but feel more relieved. He didn't know why, but… he couldn't stand being alone without her there… couldn't stand not knowing where she was. _'She's back now… that's all that matters right now.' _

He couldn't keep the small smile from his face at the feeling in his chest. It was a happy feeling… a tender feeling. _'I wonder if she feels this way.' _Shaking his head, he claimed that it didn't matter. They would go back to Blue Abarath tomorrow; making the trip by horseback.

* * *

Scion glared at the single horse with Din sitting in the front. She didn't want to ride on the back like a child. The blond looked back at her with confusion.

"What's wrong?" he asked with a small smile.

Her eyes gave him the same glare; only a little less threatening.

"I can't borrow a horse," he laughed nervously, "They'd never get it back."

She shook her head with defeat before climbing on the horse as well.

The Cheagle jumped onto her shoulder and grasped her jacket tightly. She couldn't help but laugh inwardly. _'Still terrified of horses…' _

"We'll probably make it there by either tonight or tomorrow," he explained as the horse started to slowly trot down the road, "Are you okay with that?"

Scion smirked to herself before kicking the horses ribs with her heels; causing it to start going faster.

"Okay," he laughed nervously, "I guess that you are."

Scion's hands were clasped together around Din's torso. She held on tightly to keep the risk of falling off low. When she started to get tired, she rested her head against his back and smiled. _'He smells really good. It's… almost welcoming.' _The smell comforted her to sleep; a light sleep. Some of the horse's jerking would wake her up with confusion.

The thudding sounds slowed and this stirred her to awake. _'What's going on?' _

"We're here," Din told her pleasantly.

The light was dark around them and she realized just how long she had been asleep. _'Wow… it didn't seem that long…' _

They were allowed back into the city without quarrel; the guards recognizing them and having a laugh about their return.

"Third time's the charm, right?" the guard asked Scion with a laugh.

She glared coldly at them as they passed; like they had had a choice before.

She felt Din chuckle at the guard's words and she couldn't help but wonder on how he could laugh at that. _'Where does he get his elated side from? How can he… always be so happy?'_

It didn't make sense to her. She had endured suffering just like he had and she acted frozen - gave up. When her lime green eyes landed on Din's grin and heard his laugh… she wondered why he wasn't the same. Why wasn't he as angry?

The horse stopped near the entrance of the palace and she snapped out of thought.

"Do you need a hand?" Din asked as he jumped off the horse first.

Scion paused for a few moments as he outstretched his hand. Then she caught him chuckle.

"You know, it's okay to get help sometimes," he mused pleasantly.

Her eyes became solemn before she took his gloved hand. He helped her down carefully, making sure that she didn't fall. _'Why is he being so careful? I'm not physically broken…' _Scion thought with some confusion.

The Cheagle was still tightly clung to her sleeveless jacket as they went up the stairs to the palace doors. Her boot missed a step; causing her to trip. An arm was there to hold her up in an instant. Scion's back was to a hard chest with an arm around her waist.

"Careful now," Din laughed; his voice pleasant in her ear, "You're banged up enough don't you think?"

She nodded her head slowly before his arm let her go.

She could feel him watching her cautiously from behind her. It brought a small smile to her face. _'Thank you Din.'_

"I'll help you get to the shower," the blond told her with a gentle tone.

Scion shot him a confused look.

"You probably want some time to relax in warm water," he stated with a pleasant smile.

'_You're right… I wouldn't mind that.' _

* * *

Din sat with his back against the wall outside of the showers as he waited for Scion. _'I wonder why the Fonon helmet gave lady Nadelay pain… It's made of her own Fonons so it shouldn't have done anything really…' _He shook his head with a small smile; wishing he would have thought of that possibility sooner.

"Maybe because it's ruined so many replicas' minds… that they're all encoded into the memory," he whispered to himself.

'_So when it was placed on her own head, the helmet attacked her with all the memories.' _

It seemed like a possible explanation; to him anyway.

"Sin will be delighted," the blond laughed humorlessly to himself.

When they had gotten into the palace, the young Empress informed them that Asch had left for some time. She stated that she assumed Sin had followed after Asch and that they were sorry for not being able to help him. _'I wonder where they went.' _

The straw-blond was brought out of thought by the sound of running water being shut off. Scion was done he assumed, getting to his feet.

There was a feeling in his chest that told him that he couldn't let her wander on her own. He could tell by her expression that Scion was both physically and mentally wounded. She hadn't even spoken to him in the two days she had been awake… not even a murmur or a mutter. It worried him greatly.

After a few minutes, the door opened and Scion stepped out with wet hair and dressed in a white night kimono. Her green eyes looked up at him with what looked like apology.

"It's okay Scion," he assured her, "You don't have to be sorry."

She shook her head slowly before her lips pursed together as she thought.

"I… wanted to… thank you," she said quietly.

The sound of her voice lifted his spirits. He smiled a gentle smile at her in return. _'It's quieter… vulnerable…' _He admitted to himself that he didn't like that thought. He knew that she wouldn't either.

"You don't have to," the straw-blond stated, "I'd save you even if you were ten times farther than Valinsa."

His blue eyes caught her lime green ones widen with his words.

"You're worth it."

* * *

Scion was surprised to hear those words… No one had ever said them before; not even Tepid. It made her heart skip a beat. _'I'm… worth all that trouble?' _Her expression was solemn at the thought.

"Can we… go to bed now?"

"Of course," he agreed with a nod.

Silence fell between them as they walked down the hallway toward their rooms. Scion wasn't sure how she felt about what the blond had said. Her own _lover_ had never said that she was worth it… but this _friend_ could. It made her wonder on how they actually felt about each other. When Din had said that she looked good dressed up in the fancy kimono… she liked that he had thought that. She just acted angry.

'_I don't like him that way… not like I did Tepid…' _She told herself as she watched the floor in front of her. _'But… does Din feel that way?' _Her fingers fiddled together at the thought. How would that affect their friendship?

They stopped at her room door and she opened it slowly. Everything was cleaned up; the knocked over furniture and broken vase were all cleaned up off the floor. _'I guess that I've really been gone a long time…' _

"Good night Scion," Din said quietly from the hallway, "I'm right next door if you need me."

Nodding her head, Scion shut the door behind her.

Her eyes glared at the sleeping Cheagle on her pillow. _'What do you think you're doing?' _Her eyes narrowed before she grabbed the creature by the ear and lifted it up. It was sleeping peacefully… like nothing was happening. Scion's brows pushed together before dropping the light green creature to the floor.

The thud didn't bother her as the girl climbed into bed. The Cheagle would be fine as far as she was concerned. _'I admit that you're cute you little monster, but you're annoying attributes outweigh that.' _She thought as she covered herself with the sheets.

The warmth was welcoming as she stared up at the ceiling. _'I really wonder what's running through Din's head when he says things like by the showers…' _Her head fell to the side with half closed eyes. _'Why do you even say them Din?' _

* * *

Din's eyes stared at the closed door. He hadn't fallen asleep yet… he found that he couldn't.

There was something grasping onto his heart that made him want to go to Scion's room to make sure that she was okay. _'At least she's talking a little… that's the main part.' _

His brows furrowed as he tried to keep himself sitting in the same spot.

"You know what it is," he murmured to himself, "You know this feeling."

He had felt that way toward the lady once upon a time. That was before Asch came… before he saw what she was really like.

With a sigh, his fingers grasped the sheets. He was ready for bed, so why couldn't he just go to sleep? _'I admit that I like her… that I need her around… but do I have to tell her? __**Should**__ I even tell her?' _The thought was debate worthy, and he knew he wanted her to know. _'I should probably tell her…' _

The door slammed open and he was confused to see Scion standing there with furrowed brows – an angry expression. _'Is she okay?' _

* * *

"I've had enough," Scion nearly growled, tossing the light green sleeping Cheagle onto Din's bed, "I can't stand that thing."

She heard him laugh and she shot him a cold glare.

"It's not funny," she told him icily.

'_The damn thing crawled on top of me like I was a pillow!' _

"Okay," he mused, "I'll take it then."

Scion's brows pressed together a little when Din took a couple steps toward her.

"Din…" she sighed, "I'm… sorry for causing you… so much trouble."

'_I've screwed up so many times…' _Her eyes fell away; looking down at the floor.

"I'm not really… worth all that trouble," she murmured with a solemn expression.

'_No matter how much I want to be… I'm not worth it.' _

A pink blush was present on her face at his previous flattery.

"_I think you look very dashing."_

Warm fingers turned her head back toward him and her lime green eyes couldn't stop from looking at the whole situation.

The straw-blonde's chest was bare… ready to go to bed. Her eyes widened when they landed on his stomach. Then her cold fingers touched the scabbed over wound lightly. She saw him wince.

"…What happened?" she asked, looking up at him with worry, "Why… why didn't you get it… healed?"

Din laughed quietly, shaking his head.

"I was more worried about you than that silly thing," he murmured with a small smile, "She shot me when I was protecting you."

"Why would you do that?" Scion asked, even more worried.

He was willing to die, just like that? Throw it away for some girl that had nothing left to live for anyway?

"Scion…" his voice said quietly… gently.

She was confused when his head came closer. She was even more confused with the fact that she wouldn't pull away. She couldn't make herself do it.

Din's warm breath brushed her cheek before his lips lightly connected with hers.

**End of Chapter 11**

_Thank you for reading. :3 I hope that you enjoyed it. Please R&R!_

_halfdemon-kai_


	12. Chapter 12

_Here's chapter 12. :D_

_Please enjoy!_

**Chapter 12**

Lime green eyes were half closed as Scion's heart skipped a beat. A moment passed before Din pulled away; leaving her rather stunned. _'What… just happened?' _She wondered with confusion. His hand slipped away and she could see a rather brooding expression on his face.

"My apologies-"

"It's okay," she cut him off, shaking her head.

Her cold hands grabbed his forearm as she couldn't understand the feeling in her heart. _'Why… why are you able to do this to me?' _

"Your hands are cold," he stated with some surprise.

Her heart was pounding with some anxiety.

"What are you thinking?" the blond asked with a gentle tone.

She took a step forward with her own curiosity as to what she was feeling.

"About doing… this…" she whispered, pulling him closer to her.

Scion didn't feel any resistance in her pull. Her eyes slowly closed before their lips met again. Inside she could feel a long lost yearning… the rediscovering of a forgotten feeling. She felt almost… whole…

* * *

Din's brows knitted in confusion at Scion's actions. _'Why is she kissing me back?' _His eyelids were half open; watching her expression. She didn't look confused at all… like she knew exactly how she was feeling. He dared to continue the moment, deepening the kiss further.

His hands wandered to her shoulders and his fingers grasped them lightly. She seemed to pause then; green eyes widening. He felt her stop and turn her head away. His hands instinctively let her go.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quietly, "I shouldn't have… I'm sorry…"

"No Scion…" he murmured, "_I _shouldn't have."

They both looked away, ashamed of themselves.

Din heard her sit down on the floor and it caught his attention.

"You shouldn't… want me," Scion murmured with a solemn expression.

"What are you saying?" he asked with confusion.

"This person… it isn't me," she explained quietly, "I changed myself… I used to be that girl walking down the street… dressed in nice, woman clothes. I was a normal girl…

"When my brothers and Tepid died… I couldn't stand it. I changed myself completely… so nothing about me would be a reminder of them. My happy attitude disappeared… I changed how I dressed… my hair… I'm not me anymore."

'_I don't understand… does that bother her?' _

His eyes watched her with worry at her explanation. He had only ever lost his parents. He had no siblings or a lover… just himself.

Din was confused when Scion got to her feet and went toward the door.

"I don't think that you would… want a broken person like me," she murmured before leaving the room.

He was frozen in place; wanting to go after her but finding that he couldn't move. _'She probably wants to be alone…' _His palms clenched before he fell back to sit on his bed.

He had never met Scion beforehand… never saw what she was like in her life in Blue Abarath. _'I like the Scion that I met in Valinsa… the Scion that I know…' _

* * *

Scion had her face buried in her bed pillow. She couldn't believe what she had just done. They had been good with just friendship… She pushed it farther than that. _'Tepid I'm so sorry.' _

"_You must choose your future or your past."_

Her fists clenched as Asch's words ran through her head. She had chosen her future… so why did the past affect so much about her? It didn't matter anymore.

"Because you're pathetic…" she whispered to herself.

Scion hated her past now. Everything about it… everything with Tepid was now nothing but a waste of time. _'…A waste of memory space.' _She thought with a scoff.

Din was her friend… a good friend worth keeping. She didn't want to ruin that friendship for anything. _'I never meant to get so involved with anyone else again. I just wanted a new life somewhere else…' _

Scion lay awake all night; thoughts running through her head. When her door opened again, she wasn't really surprised.

"…Scion?" Din's voice wondered from the doorway.

She turned her head to the side, "…Yeah?"

"Could you… sit up for a minute?" he asked quietly.

As she sat up, Scion could feel the awkwardness between them. She could feel her mixed feelings toward the situation before her orbs fell onto what was in Din's hand.

"I forgot about that…" she murmured with a solemn expression, "Where… did you find it?"

"Outside with city," he stated before placing the two broken pieces onto the dresser, "Sin came to us for help… but when we got there you were gone."

'_I don't remember what happened after I used that arte… that happened last time too…' _

Her head turned away at the memory. She had almost killed her second oldest brother because he had been the closest person to her at the time. Now that she had grown the range of the field of fonons had as well.

"I see," she murmured, "Thank you… for grabbing it."

"It seems important to you… so I wanted to make sure that you got it back."

'_The last thing about my old life… It's broken now; just as broken as I am.' _

Her lime green eyes narrowed. _'Broken apart with scattered pieces…' _

"If you want me to leave you alone today Scion, I can give you some privacy," Din told her quietly.

"Would you… rather be alone?" she asked him curiously.

"Not really," he admitted with a nervous laugh.

'_I need some movement… I've been sleeping and lying in bed too much.' _

"We could… wander around the castle," Scion murmured.

"If you're up for it," the blond agreed with a small smile.

"I don't need your sympathy," she muttered, crawling out of bed.

"Maybe you do," he chuckled.

* * *

Din walked beside Scion as they wandered down the foreign hallways. They were mostly silent as they went. _'She's talking again at least. Things that happened last night must have brought back memories and feelings… I'm such a fool.' _

The straw-blond looked away from Scion – toward the wall – with a solemn expression. He should have left her alone… should have kept it all to himself. All feelings did that; disappeared after a while… _'Yeah, but come back tenfold after you forget.' _He thought dryly.

"Where… do you think they went?" Scion wondered curiously.

"I don't know," he admitted, "They never said a word about it…"

"Oh…" she murmured.

Din's blue eyes cast a glance toward her without turning his head. She was looking away as well; at all the pictured on the walls. _'She probably misses Sin right now… after what I've done I don't really blame her…' _Sighing inwardly, he turned his attention forward again.

There were so many things he could have said or asked. He could apologize for what happened… asked why she stopped like that… answer why he would want her…

His thoughts were cut short when their hands accidentally touched. Her fingers were so cold compared to his… and when they touched again he looked away shamefully. _'Just… tell her the truth… Tell her how you feel…' _His face scrunched with anguish. His heart was twisting inside.

Half of him was telling him that he should tell her and the other half didn't want to hurt her anymore. _'She's already lost so much… why does she need you?' _He asked himself with self-frustration. Too many thoughts were running through his head at once…

'_She needs me to make her feel whole again.' _

"Scion… about last night…" the straw-blond started quietly, fingers fiddling with themselves.

"Hmm?" she questioned, sounding uninterested.

When her fingers touched his again, he took hold of them.

They stopped walking in the hallway and Scion looked up at him with a slight scowl.

"You asked me why I would want you," he continued with fuddled words, "This Scion, that I'm looking at now, might not be the original Scion… but you're the only Scion that I have ever met."

"What are you saying?" she asked with confusion.

"_You_ are the Scion that I like," Din told her gently, holding her hand in his, "Not the other one."

* * *

Scion looked up at Din with widened eyes at his words. His orbs were locked with hers and then she could see that he wasn't lying. _'I don't understand why my heart feels this way with him… How does he make me feel so… elated?' _A small blush laced her cheeks as she felt him rest his forehead against hers.

"You don't have to return my feelings," he whispered, "I just… needed you to know."

Scion's lime green eyes closed as new memories filled her mind… newer, recent memories… good memories.

"_You don't want to leave, do you?"_

"_No Sin. I want to stay here."_

…

"_I like to think of us as friends."_

…

"_I'd save you even if you were ten times farther than Valinsa… You're worth it."_

Opening her eyes halfway, Scion looked down at Din's chest for a few moments.

"I think it's your hair that makes you interesting," she stated rather simply, smiling a small smile.

"Ouch, that's a shot," he mused quietly.

"Definitely a-"

"_Please don't be scared Scion."_

"_I'm not. I just… don't want anything to happen…"_

"_I know. We don't have to-"_

"_No! I… I want to…"_

"_Okay… just follow the flow then…"_

Her back stiffened and her eyes widened; pulling away from Din.

"…Scion?" the straw-blond questioned with confusion.

Pictures of bare skin over hers mixed with memories of the whip against her back all flowed into her mind at once. Her hands covered her ears to block out their voices.

"_You're worthless!"_

"_I love you Scion…"_

"_He doesn't want you! He wants me!"_

"_We'll be together forever. I promise…"_

"No… no!" she whimpered, falling to her knees.

'_Go away… go away!' _

Warms hands took hold of her shoulders and the world only came back blurry.

"Scion, what's wrong?" Din's voice asked through the memories.

"Make them stop… make them go away," the girl pleaded, covering her ears with her palms.

"_See Scion, did that hurt?"_

She couldn't focus on anything… memories wouldn't leave her alone. His warm hands on her shoulders kept some of them away… but not all of them.

Everything seemed to stop completely though when his lips captured hers. Her sanity seemed to come back… and all she could focus on was the warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. When his lips pulled away, her hands fell into her lap.

"Scion, what happened?" Din asked with worry lacing his voice.

Her head turned to the side to avoid his gaze.

A warm hand turned her head upward.

"I have… a problem with my memories…" she whispered reluctantly.

"What do you mean?"

"My past comes back on its own… I can't remember what I want to," Scion finished with a sigh.

"I'll be here for you Scion," Din whispered, "I promise that I will."

"It doesn't matter," she muttered, "They won't go away…"

"Then we'll make them."

* * *

Din didn't know how he could help her. The only one who could help the memories stop was Scion herself…

"How can you make things go away?" she asked with confusion.

"There's that saying; if you ignore it, maybe it will go away," he tried to suggest with an assuring tone.

Her brows seemed to furrow with those words.

He could see it in her dull lime green eyes… she was trying to think of a way to make it work.

"All I did now was distract you… So maybe you have to distract yourself?" the blond suggested with a thoughtful tone.

'_What happened just now must have been painful… A shock of emotions flowing through the mind all at once…' _

Scion looked up at him thoughtfully. The concept_seemed_ logical, but that didn't mean it would automatically work.

"Okay… I can do that…" she stated quietly, getting to her feet.

"Where are you going?"

"…To practice."

Din stood in place with a small smile on his face. _'She's trying so hard to be able to make it on her own…'_ Scion walked down the hallway and disappeared around a corner. He knew that now their lives were connected together. He wasn't going to let Scion wander alone on the road… he would walk beside her.

* * *

Scion sat on the ledge of the fountain, staring down at the light grey ground bricks. _'Just ignore it huh?' _

"Mieu?" the Cheagle's voice asked from right beside her.

Her green eyes glared coldly at the small creature.

"If I ignore you, will you go away?" she asked with a dull tone.

"Mieu mieu mieu!" the creature cried happily, jumping up and down.

The girl groaned when it tugged on her pant leg.

"Stop," she said warningly.

It continued all too happily.

"I said stop."

With one last tug, Scion grabbed the Cheagle and dropped it into the fountain water. _'I warned you.' _

"So you're back are you?" the young Emperor's voice asked from the doors.

Scion looked up and glared coldly at Syft.

"Why are you glaring at me? I didn't do anything to you," he stated with a scoff.

'_I guess not…' _

"You're almost as much trouble as the replica," Syft muttered as he took a seat down beside her; nearly sitting on the Cheagle as it tried to crawl out of the water.

Her gaze looked away from him.

"_You're so much trouble."_

"_I bet mom and dad wouldn't say that!"_

"_They're not alive anymore Scion. What they think doesn't really matter anymore."_

"_I'm telling big brother you said that!"_

"First time that she was set out on her own, the idiot walked into a dark alley," Syft mused, "Asch and I had to save her."

Scion couldn't keep the smile from her face.

"_I'm not dumb enough to walk down a dark alley."_

'_I might not be dumb enough… but I'd do it willingly.' _Scion could only imagine the small black haired girl taking the wrong turn.

"So why did you need me to come out here?" the Emperor asked with confusion.

"I need to cross the border," she stated quietly.

"Why the hell do you need to do that?"

"I need to fix my sword," she explained, "I need a chunk of Blue Abarath to fix it."

The young Emperor groaned at the mere suggestion.

"Will blondie be going with you?" he asked, sounding frustrated.

"No… this is something I need to do alone."

'_I'm sorry Din. I won't get caught and I'll be back.' _

"Fine," Syft muttered, "You have my permission, but if something bad happens over there then you're on your own."

"I can deal with that."

**End of Chapter 12**

_Thank you for reading. :D I hope that you enjoyed it. Please R&R!_

_halfdemon-kai_


	13. Chapter 13

_Hello everyone! I know that it's been a little while since I last updated this one… well not really but I'm sorry anyway. xD I wrote this chapter for a little break time for Din and Scion. They deserve a break sometimes too right? Lol. _

_Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it so much. – glomps – _

_Please Enjoy! _

**Chapter 13**

Scion walked through the marketplace with wandering lime green eyes. The young Emperor Syft had wanted to talk to Din, which gave her some free time.

'_How long have I known Din?' _The girl asked herself thoughtfully; counting out the days. _'…A month? …A month and a half?' _Sighing, she settled with a month and a half. It seemed reasonable enough. It made sense too.

"Maybe it's two months?" she questioned herself.

She wasn't sure. There had been too many days spent sleeping or unconscious for her to be sure of anything. _'Or underground…' _She thought rather dryly.

Her gaze fell onto the blacksmith stand as she passed a few people. Her eyes locked on a thin blade shining with the sunlight. _'Maybe… I could take a look?' _Inside she felt compelled to get him something. He had saved her life more than once. Getting him something; like a new sword or a bangle seemed like the right thing to do. _'I own him everything…' _

Wandering to the stand, Scion's lime green eyes landed on the details of a sword. It was curious to see the dragon like design almost engraved into the blade itself.

"A beaut isn't she?" a man asked pleasantly.

She jumped a little; the voice knocking her out of thought.

"One of my finest works," he chided with a large, proud grin.

She cocked a brow at his words. _'What does he mean by finest? Is it just for display?' _

"Name her the Awakening Dragon; on sale for twelve-thousand, five-hundred gald."

At the mention of the price, Scion started going through all of her pockets to see how much she had. _'Only ten-thousand…' _She scowled slightly at the amount. This man didn't seem like the type to barter…

"Could you… hold this for me?" she asked curiously, looking up at the blacksmith.

"We don't normally do things like that, but for a cutie like you, I could hold it for a maximum of two days," he explained, still grinning rather proudly.

Scion scowled at the word 'cutie'.

"Not long enough?"

"It's fine," she muttered, "I'll be back later."

'…_Teach him to call me that. Take that sword and get it covered in blood and chip it on giant rocks and then we'll see who's cute.' _Scion thought as she turned to walk away.

Now all she had to do was find minor jobs to be done around the city. People paid gald for that.

"Now… where's that job list?" she asked herself, looking from side to side.

There wasn't much she wasn't willing to do, and with Din currently busy… it gave her time to work.

There weren't many times anymore where Scion felt this happy or childish. It was strange after all that had happened within the last year or two.

"Deliverer wanted," she murmured as she read a job post, "Deliver ingredients, ornaments, and messages for a hundred-fifty gald per delivery…"

Eyes wandered to the paper beside it.

"Fix roof for one-thousand gald."

'_That doesn't sound too bad…' _

Scion smiled slightly before walking down the street. Fixing a roof couldn't be **that** hard, could it? The roof that needed fixing didn't even look like anything was wrong with it. _'Did someone already do it?' _She looked around curiously but saw no one. _'Better find out if someone's home…' _Her fist knocked lightly on the door and then she waited for a few moments.

"Hello?" an elderly woman's voice called from inside.

She opened the door and Scion was slightly surprised at how old the lady looked.

"Can I help you?" the elderly woman asked.

"Uh, are you still looking for someone to fix your roof?" Scion wondered rather nervously.

"I'm sorry dear, but a nice young man has already done it earlier this morning," the woman explained with an apologetic tone.

"Oh, alright," the girl nodded.

"Thank you anyway dear," the woman said pleasantly.

With a sigh, Scion turned to go to the delivery place.

"Sorry, but we already have a delivery boy going around. He took the job a few hours ago," the man at the stand explained.

"Okay," the girl said with confusion.

Then she went to the bakery for a little while.

"I'm sorry miss, but we just got an extra baker," a woman apologized with a nervous expression, "He actually just got here a few minutes ago."

"Damn it," Scion murmured, "Thanks anyway."

She turned and left the bakery with a slight scowl on her face. _'It must be the same guy…' _

Sitting on a bench, she thought about what to do. _'This is what I get for trying to be nice to someone.' _She thought with a dull expression on her face.

"You there, young miss!" a man called out over the voices of the crowd.

She looked up with a cocked brow. Why would someone be talking to her?

"How would you like to help me out?" the same man asked, walking up to her with a pleasant smile on his face.

"With… what?" she asked with confusion.

"There is a small pack of ligarres attacking the farmer's crops across the way. Would you like to take care of them for us?" the man asked.

"No thanks," she muttered.

"I'll pay you handsomely," he tried to persuade.

Her eyes looked up immediately at the mention of pay.

"How much?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"Five-thousand gald," he stated with a slight smirk, "But if you don't want the job I'll have to ask someone else."

"No! I want the job!" Scion said as she jumped to her feet.

"I don't know…"

"I need the job," she told him urgently.

She wanted to get him at least one thing before she left.

"Okay miss you get the job done and the gald is yours. Just come find me after you're finished," the man agreed, shaking her hand.

"Deal," she nodded in agreement.

Without a sword she was just asking to be killed by the pack of ligarres. It was like telling them to go ahead and eat her. Her legs led her to her old house… to the only place she knew she could find her second best weapon at her disposal. Opening the door, her lime green orbs fell on the large book shelf to her left.

"I know you're there somewhere," Scion murmured with slightly furrowed brows.

From the dimly lit room she couldn't see the exact back that she needed, Scion walked closer, looking for the old blue leather book that she needed. _'Damn it… I know that it's in here somewhere!' _Her hands lightly touched over the spines, eyes scanning each name.

"Artes of the world," she murmured with a slight smile.

In her memory the pages were blurry but the cover she knew well. She had spent many days on the couch staring at it with wonder.

As a child everyone was curious. Scion had been no exception. The day her one oldest brother told her to never read from it again was the first time she had used Lightning Strike… the first day that her oldest brother scolded her.

'_I know that there are more artes in here than just that.'_ In the table of contents, Scion read down the list of pages and her face made a dull expression at one.

"Fatal… artes?" she muttered, flipping to that section.

There it was, right at the top of the list; Lightning Strike. It was a weaker but effective arte.

"Those bastards," she hissed before going to the previous section.

The names and incantations for elemental artes were listed and Scion tried to commit them to memory. _'I guess I'll just take this with me incase I need it…' _The girl took the book before leaving the old house. She walked past the people on the street with a determined expression on her face. She would get the job done and be back before the sun went down. That guy wouldn't take this job. She would get there first.

With a rather proud determination, Scion left the city to go to a farm that was just outside the city walls. She never knew why it was there, but she guessed that a few items from the farm went to the city.

A distant growl caught her attention to the right. A medium sized ligarre was running back to the forest; away from the farm. Scion's feet followed after it, chasing it back to its pack. _'If I find out where it is then I can lure one out after another. That would be easier than fighting them all at once.' _When she broke through the trees, Scion froze immediately. Her eyes were wide at the sight.

Six pairs of eyes – hungry eyes – were watching her with bared teeth.

"I… wasn't expecting… that," Scion murmured nervously.

'_I need an arte…' _Her eyes glanced at each pair of prowling eyes coming closer.

"Uh… Stones burst; Earthquake!" she cried as the ground began to glow slightly with the field of fonons.

Scion backed away a little as the ground began to shake under her feet. The trees shook and the leaves rustled rapidly.

Large rocks – jagged rocks – burst from the ground underneath the ligarre's feet. A few were impaled and others just wounded. _'Well that was worth it…' _The wounded ligarres crept forward slightly, growling more than before.

"Okay… maybe it wasn't worth it…" she murmured nervously.

* * *

Din looked out the window of the palace, watching out past the gate. He had had an early morning; running around on small errands. He believed that it was time to take a small break for a while. _'I wonder what Scion's doing right now.' _His blue eyes caught sight of a small flash in the forest.

"That's probably the person getting rid of those ligarres," he murmured with a small smile.

He had gone to ask the man about the ligarre problem, only to be told that the position had already been filled.

"Someone else must be desperate for gald," he mused with a slight grin.

Unfortunately when he had left lady Nadelay's manor, Din hadn't had time to grab any of the gald he had hidden away. He was flat down poor.

With a sigh, the straw-blond turned to go back to work. If he wanted the gald, he needed to get back to work.

* * *

Scion climbed up to a higher branch. Out of the original six ligarres, there was only one left. _'I can't believe this…' _She thought with a rather embarrassed expression on her face. _'Trapped in a tree by an oversized cat…' _Sitting down on the branch, Scion looked down at the dark furred creature.

"Stupid feline mutt," she muttered as it lay down at the base of the tree.

The ligarre was waiting for her to come down… waiting to kill her. _'This was the dumbest idea I've __**ever**__ had! It's worse than the time I hung out the window.' _Her face flushed with anger at the thought of that day. Asch had given her up to Dailiin without a second though. _'I should dress him up and see how he likes it…' _Her fists clenched at the thought.

The only way out of this situation was to jump down and hope to escape. _'Either that or…' _Her face became more excited with the idea. It would be fun she guessed. With a slight shift of her wait, she had a clear shot at the ligarre.

"Okay," she whispered, holding herself up with her arms, "One… Two… Three…"

Her hands let go of the two branches and landed on the back of the dark furred ligarre.

It jumped to its feet and began running with surprise. Scion's hands held tightly onto the fur of its back so she wouldn't fall off. The ligarre started thrashing; zigzagging through the trunks of the surrounding trees. _'Lead me to the rest of your pack little guy.' _The girl held on, keeping herself on the ligarre's back.

The ligarre growled and hissed at her, wanting her off.

"Lightning Tempest!"

The field of fonons began to glow under them as they went along. Lightning surrounded them in a circle, trapping the ligarre's escape as it came closer. The four bolts twisted until the ring contracted to strike the two, sending Scion rolling to the side.

The girl lay face down in the dead fallen leaves with furrowed brows. _'That probably could have gone better…' _She thought, pushing herself up to see what had happened to the ligarre. The dark furred creature was lying on its side; not moving. With a sigh, the girl rolled onto her back to look upward. Her eyes widened immediately though upon not having the trees covering her sunlight.

"You **have** got to be shitting me," she cursed before flipping over to her hands and knees.

Her boot collided with a larger and more fierce ligarre's jaw; knocking the head backward.

She heard the growl grow deeper as she stood to her feet. The ligarre had tan and white fur; the tan larger and sticking out. It was taller than her and its teeth were of a fierce jaw. _'Well there's no getting away from this one…' _Scion sighed at the thought. She didn't want to have to fight with her hands, but she didn't want to keep using artes either.

"Damn it," she hissed.

A stronger enemy meant a stronger arte was needed.

The ligarre lunged at Scion, causing her to dodge out of the way of its fangs. Its tail swung at her right after, making her duck out of the way. Scion rolled toward the ligarre's head as the tail swung again. The dodge gave her time to attack.

Jumping, the girl punched the ligarre over the head as hard as she could before being swatted away by a claw. Her back collided with a tree, knocking the wind out of her. Coughing, Scion tried to regain the air in her lungs. _'Damn it…' _

The ligarre wasn't waiting for her as it prowled closer. Scion's lime green eyes looked worriedly at the monster. It wasn't going to give her time to recover. It crouched low, getting ready to pounce at her again.

When the large monster jumped to attack, the girl forced herself to move out of the way. The large creature crashed its head off the thick trunk of the tree. While it wasn't moving, Scion found the opportunity to pull out the book for a stronger arte. _'Come on, come on, come on…' _Her eyes skimmed through the pages while glancing at the twitching ligarre.

"Come on," she murmured, ushering for an arte to appear.

'…_Strong artes…' _

The ligarre stumbled to its feet and turned toward the girl as she read the incantation.

"Burn thy enemy with your flames; Inferno!"

The ground around Scion began to glow a red colour. Before the ligarre was aware, it burst into flames.

The girl covered her ears at the growling pain of the monster. _'Sorry but it's your own fault for attacking that farmer.' _She thought with furrowed brows. When the growling stopped and the flames died down, Scion looked at the burnt body of the large monster. She felt sorry for it in a way. It was just living the way it was born to.

"Would have made a better pet than that stupid Cheagle," she muttered before turning to go back to the city.

'_Now… where am I?'_

* * *

The straw-blond held onto the midnight jeweled bangle in his fingertips. The sun was going down… which meant that Scion would be back soon. At least, he hope that she would.

It had taken him a full working day to get the bangle for her. It was almost to the point where there weren't anymore jobs for him to do. There were just small, low paying jobs left by the time her was finished.

"I wonder what she's doing," he murmured before looking out over the balcony.

The sky was coloured with pinks and oranges and light blues. It was a pleasant sight to see to his blue orbs. He hadn't ever had time to watch the sun set at Lady Nadelay's manor. When Asch had left he had had to run all over to take his place. Now he was glad that he had left with Scion, more so than ever.

After what had occurred a week or so ago – after seeing what lady Nadelay had done to Scion – Din hated the woman. He despised her in a way now. _'It's over now… There's no way that she'll come back to hurt Scion now.' _The straw-blond smiled lightly at the thought. He really enjoyed Scion's company and without her he knew that he would lose a piece of himself without her.

There was a knock on his door and it snapped Din out of his thoughts. Who would knock on his door now? He cocked a brow as the person knocked again. Before he could even move toward the door, it swung open and he was confused at the sight of the silver haired girl.

Scion's silver hair was messy and out of place. Her white sleeveless jacket was covered in smears of dirt and grass. Even her cheeks were covered with specks of dirt and small scratches. The only thing that was normal was the scowl on her face. _'What happened to her?' _He asked himself with a slightly cocked brow.

"Are you… okay?" the blond asked, trying to stop him self from laughing.

There was a slight smile on his face and he saw her glare at him for it.

"This is the last time that I do anything nice for anyone," Scion muttered coldly, walking to his bed and collapsing on it.

'_I'm not sure I should even ask…' _

"You look like you fell off a horse or something," Din mused, unable to hide the laugh in his words.

"Shut up," she growled; her words muffled by the bed.

A few moments of silence passed before Din burst out with laughter. His hands held onto his ribs as he fell to his knees. _'I can't help it…' _His laughter continued for a minute or two until a pillow pelted him in the side of the head. Even then his laughter lingered for a few moments.

"It's entirely that stupid guy's fault!" she hissed before rolling onto her back.

Din regained his composure and stood up to see her face.

"What guy?" he questioned curiously.

Her lime green eyes were glaring at the ceiling of his room; a scowl again on her face.

"I wanted some more gald and started looking for jobs," Scion explained, her agitation clear in her voice, "I went to fix a roof and a guy fixed it already."

A small smile found a way to his face again. _'I fixed that roof…' _

"Then I went to make some deliveries, but a guy took that job too," she continued with furrowed brows.

'_Oh dear…' _

"When I got to the bakery the same guy just got there. I had to take a job getting rid of a pack of stupid ligarres to get you a stupid sword," Scion finished, sitting up and staring at him coldly.

Din couldn't hide the nervous smile on his face at the girl's words.

"Here, get it out of my sight," she muttered, pulling out the sheathed sword and throwing it to him.

The straw-blond could see the small blush on the top of Scion's cheeks as he caught it. Unsheathing it, his eyes examined the craftsmanship of the blade. _'This must have cost her a lot of gald…' _

"Thank you Scion, for taking the time to do that," he said with a pleasant smile on his face.

Scion was still blushing as she turned her head to the side and her lime green eyes looked at him. She was forcing herself to scowl at him, even he could tell.

"But I have a confession," he admitted nervously, "That guy stealing those jobs… was me. I had no gald and wanted to get you something…"

Her blush deepened but the scowl was real now.

"I'm sorry," Din apologized as he dared to take a few steps closer to her, "I saw it and thought that you would like it."

Holding his hand out, the blond presented the dark stoned bangle to the girl. Her fingers took it before she made a face at him.

"You realize what this means right?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I know," he laughed slightly.

"The Cheagle stays here all night."

**End of Chapter 13**

_I hope that that chapter was okay. I had a hard time getting into typing it but I finally got it done. :3 I had fun writing this chapter though. Seemed amusing to have Din stealing all of Scion's jobs. xD _

_Thank you so much for reading. –hugs again—_

_Please R&R and again… I KNOW YOU'RE ALL THERE!_

_halfdemon-kai :3_


	14. Chapter 14

_Hey everyone! I couldn't help myself, I got way ahead and I wanted to post this chapter really badly… 'cause I kind of like this chapter. Not as much as the chapter or two to come but I like how this one ends. xD _

_Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I really love you guys for it. – hugs you all – You guys are awesome. :3 _

_Please enjoy! _

**Chapter 14**

Din stirred that night, rolling onto his side with a worried expression on his face. The Cheagle was asleep behind him, completely dead to the world around it. He didn't know why, but he felt an anxious feeling in his chest. What was Scion doing now? His eyes narrowed at the thought. _'What __**is**__ she doing?' _

It was early in the morning; so early that the sun hadn't started to stir the darkened night sky. The blonde's brows knitted together with confusion. Something was going to happen… but he didn't know what.

There was a light knock on his room door… a cautious knock. Propping himself up in confusion, Din cast his blue orbs toward the door. Someone knocked at night… and then now, early in the morning? What was happening around here?

The straw-blond crawled out of bed quietly in his bare feet. The air was slightly chilly compared to the warm compared to the warm covers of the bed. It made his skin shiver as he grabbed the sheath of his new sword. _'One can't be too careful.' _He thought before going to the door.

The person hadn't knocked again… did they know that he was awake? Or did they leave and go back to their own room? He was curious as his hand reached for the doorknob. He wanted to know who it was.

As his hand pulled the door open a little, surprised lime green eyes greeted him in the dark.

"Scion?" he questioned with confusion, "Is something wrong?"

"No… not really," she murmured, looking to the side.

Din saw that the girl was dressed in her regular clothes; midriff showing, belt holding her pants up, black boots tied tightly…

"I just wanted… to say goodbye," Scion said quietly, her eyes glancing at his face.

His face scrunched slightly at her words. Was she leaving without him?

"Why would you need to say goodbye?" the blond asked with a slightly cocked brow.

In the darkened light, Din saw the girl wince at his words.

"I'm not leaving forever," Scion murmured, "I just… need to get more stone to fix my sword."

"Then I'll get dressed and go with you," he suggested with a small smile.

"No," she protested with a worried expression, "I need to do this alone. It's easier to get to the mountain by myself…"

His hand lifted her chin upward to look at him. He smiled gently and she looked confused.

"You don't have to worry Scion," he promised, "I don't be going anywhere. I'll be here when you get back."

His hand dropped and Scion nodded slightly.

"I'll see you when I get back then?" she asked with a raised brow.

He nodded this time and grinned.

"…Promise."

Scion paused for a moment, almost confused at what she wanted to do. Cautiously, she opened her arms and he laughed lightly at her attempt to be subtle at asking for a hug. _'She's really just a kid under that cold exterior.' _Din thought with a small smile.

He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He felt her cold hands touch his bare back and it caused him to shiver slightly.

"I'm sorry," she apologized; letting go immediately.

Resting his head against hers, he smiled against her silver hair.

"It's okay," he laughed slightly, "I don't mind."

Din felt her cold fingers touch his back lightly to see if it really was okay. He couldn't help but laugh at her actions. He let her go though, so she didn't have to force herself to hug him.

"Be careful out there," he murmured, "Don't get killed."

He heard her scoff slightly.

"Like I'm going to die after everything," she muttered.

"Be careful anyway," he said with a smile.

With a nod, Scion left him standing in the doorway. He watched her disappear in the dark hallway before turning to his clean clothes.

"I guess we better follow her anyway," he mused, grabbing his shirt and putting it on.

The Cheagle stretched and chimed a mew with agreement.

Sliding his sheathed sword into place, he tied his boots tightly. The Cheagle jumped onto his shoulder, ready to go with him.

* * *

Scion left Blue Abarath and the guard cracked a joke about her never standing still. She had glared at him before walking past him. _'…Like they know anything.' _She thought, shaking her head slightly. The sun started to break through the dark sky and light the horizon.

She didn't know how long it would take to get to where the stone was. All she knew was the direction of it.

"This is going to take a while," the girl sighed as she walked, "I should have taken a horse."

For a while she followed along the ocean; having come across it after coming out the other side of the forest. She had never actually seen the ocean up close before. It had always been from a distance or in a picture. She had never smelt it before or felt the wash of the waves as they hit the beach. It seemed… easier to breathe outside the city walls.

Scion made a face when she stumbled upon a dead fish on the shoreline. It stank more than the fish in the market. _'Must have been dead for a while…' _She thought with a dull expression. Grabbing it by the tail, Scion threw the dead fish back into the ocean waves.

"…Nasty," she murmured before continuing down the beach.

Her feet would slip on the sand; her boots not meant to walk on a beach. When she found flat rocks, Scion picked them up and looked at them with wonder. Her brothers had always told her about skipping rocks and because she had never left Blue Abarath until after the war, she didn't know how. She had never wanted to try either. No teacher… no one to do it with… so why bother? Scion just liked how soft the rocks were.

The girl found herself wondering about everything… about the past and the present. _'I don't feel as lonely anymore… I would probably be fine if that woman hadn't shown up like that… Maybe I could smile more…' _Her brows knitted together as she put another flat rock into her pocket. She had been healing slowly and now it was just at a slower pace.

"Is it because of Din?" she asked herself with confusion.

'_He's a lot like Tepid in a way… but he's more polite and gentle…' _Scion blushed lightly at the thought of Din.

"_What happened? Why didn't you get it… healed?"_

"_I was more worried about you than that silly thing. She shot me when I was protecting you."_

"_Why would you do that?" _

"_Scion…"_

Her hands immediately covered her ears as the blush deepened on her face. Shaking her head, she tried to push it from her mind.

"Gah!" she cried as she tried to get the image out of her head.

The heat of the moment… the warm breath against her skin… the warmth of his bare chest…

"Come on, leave me alone!" she begged, falling to her knees.

Scion tried to scowl under her embarrassment; eyes staring at the ground.

She wasn't sure which she enjoyed more… Din… or Tepid… Din was kind and gentle and caring. He was selfless in rescuing her without a thought… handsome… Tepid was funny, happy, and fun to argue with. They always wrestled and beat each other up. Din was a gentleman. Tepid was too…

"Yeah, a gentleman that I gave myself to," Scion muttered to herself with narrowed eyes.

She had given herself to Tepid in both body and mind. In doing that, when he died it had ruined her… Tore her apart on the inside…

With a sigh, Scion got back to her feet and started walking again. It wasn't something that she needed to figure out right away. If to Din she really was worth it… then maybe he could wait for her to decide.

* * *

The blond nearly ran to her side when he saw her cover her ears and shake her head. It reminded him f the other day in the hallway, when she fell to her knees from the pain…

When she got to her feet again, Din smiled slightly. He had been following her from a distance in the trees. When she came to an opening to the side by the ocean, he stayed in the trees of the forest to keep watch. He laughed as he watched her pick up rocks and things on the shoreline. _'Why is she doing that?' _He wondered with a small smile.

"Mieu! Mieu mieu!" the Cheagle suddenly cried.

Din jumped with shock at the Cheagle's outburst. Its arms were moving up and down, absolutely delighted at seeing Scion.

His gloved hand immediately covered the small creature's mouth to silence its chiming. His blue eyes were worried when Scion turned around. Her expression was suspicious at hearing the sound.

"You're going to get us caught," the blond almost hissed at the light green Cheagle.

Its ears dropped slightly, as if ashamed of itself.

He released the creature and grabbing its paw, he moved ahead so Scion wouldn't catch them.

* * *

Scion turned with furrowed brows. She knew that sound… She knew that exact Cheagle cry.

"Where are you?" she murmured, looking through the trees to find the little light green Cheagle.

There was a small flash of yellow and immediately the girl shook her head. No one else had straw-blond hair like that. _'What the hell is he doing?' _Scion furrowed her brows at the question.

"Worry wart," she muttered before continuing.

What was there exactly to worry about? Getting caught? The enemy couldn't do anything to her that hadn't already been done. With a small sigh, Scion shrugged the thought away. She was sure that she had nothing to worry about.

Her stomach growled and the girl made a face at the feeling. How long had it been since she had actually eaten something? The muscles tensed and cramped with hunger. Apparently it had been a long time.

"Damn," she murmured, lime green eyes glancing around curiously.

'_I could eat that dead fish back there… but it would be kind of gross…' _She made a face at the thought.

Taking a couple more steps, Scion looked up at a large tree standing in front of her.

"Is that… a pear tree?" she asked with confusion.

'_I thought that we only had apple trees… but what do I know? I haven't really been this way before.' _The girl smiled at the thought.

In the six or so months that she had traveled before going to Valinsa, she had never gone this way. The girl's feet had wandered around aimlessly in trying to start anew. It was only by chance that she had actually stopped long enough to hold up a conversation with Din.

"Funny," she mused quietly, "Since when have I been lucky?"

'_Din's probably the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me. I owe him so much… almost everything.' _With a small sigh, Scion shook her head. She needed to think more before she decided anything at all.

Bending her legs, the girl jumped to a wide branch before wrapping themselves around the same branch. Her hands pulled her up high enough to get her right foot to use the trunk as leverage. It only took her a few moments to be sitting on the same branch in the tree. Her eyes glanced around at the surrounding branches to find any good pears.

The fruit was scattered; both good and bad around her. She scowled at the sight. She didn't want to be climbing all through the tree like a monkey. _'Maybe I can't find a few together that are good…' _Scion stood on the branch and started to climb higher into the tree.

When she spotted a good pear she reached for it only to find that it was too far away. Making a face, the girl grabbed a pear with two holes mad by birds and insects and threw it at the one she wanted. The two knocked together but the good pear didn't fall off the branch. She tried again, only to have the same thing happen. She scowled then. Why the hell wouldn't it fall off?

'_Okay… then I'll get some other ones first and then come back.' _Scion thought with some agitation. She climbed higher, finding a few other good pears to eat that weren't bruised or partly eaten. Dropping them to a spot by the tree trunk, she went back to the first pear.

Sitting down on the branch, Scion paused a minute to think. Throwing other pears at it didn't seem to have any real effect on it… She couldn't reach it on her own either… _'Oh I know!' _She thought triumphantly, getting to her feet and grabbing onto higher sturdy branches. _'If I shake the branch enough then the force of the motion will knock it free.' _Smirking, Scion began to shake the branch below her rather violently.

A lot of pears started to fall from the shaking branch. The shaking stopped though, once the one she wanted fell from the tree. Jumping down, Scion looked through all the fruit lying on the ground; grabbing all the good ones she could find. When she grabbed the first one she had wanted all along, she took a big bite out of it. _'Teach you to not fall off…' _Scion thought dully before sitting down against the tree's trunk. She sat with eight pears in her lap, ready to eat them all.

* * *

The straw-blond couldn't help but cock a brow at what he saw the girl doing. Why on earth was she climbing a tree? He grew even more confused when fruit was being thrown out of the branches.

"What is she doing?" Din asked with confusion.

'_Is she getting something to eat? Or is she practicing throwing things?' _He was nervous with that thought. He could just see Scion throwing fruit at him because he had followed her.

The Cheagle had fallen asleep with their waiting; apparently bored with standing still.

"She must be hungry," Din laughed slightly when he saw the fruit falling out of the tree like rain.

He smiled when he saw his friend sit down and start eating. She hadn't been eating hardly anything recently… though he couldn't really blame her. She would always just shake her head when he asked her if she wanted anything from the kitchen.

He would catch the girl wandering to the kitchen every now and then for something to eat, but not very often. _'Maybe she's starting to feel better again… like herself again…' _The straw-blond caught him self smiling pleasantly with the thought. He would take regular cold Scion over sad Scion any day. At least when she was cold he knew what she was really thinking… sometimes… occasionally…

* * *

_The air was thick around her; the scent dry with death and rotting corpses. This wasn't the city… this was a battlefield. Around her were three dead bodies… all her brothers. Her brows knitted together with confusion as she held tightly to the hilt of her sword. _

_Something wasn't right about this… something was wrong… Wasn't there usually someone else lying on the ground? Wasn't there usually a cold eyed red haired General standing not too far away? _

_She looked around with confusion; feet stumbling slightly over the dead bodies around her. Something wasn't right…_

_Lime green orbs widened when they caught sight of the auburn haired man behind her. What was he doing there? Wasn't he dead? Wasn't his body the one among many in this slaughter? _

"_I'm come back Scion… back to-"_

Her eyes shot open and she jumped to a sitting position. Her breath was uneven and her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. _'Tepid… what were you doing there?' _Scion asked herself, putting a cold palm to her forehead. It had been her nightmare… the one she usually had about Asch.

Dropping her hand, the girl looked around her cautiously. There was no one in the dimly lit night. Her small fire was burnt to nothing but small embers trying to stay alive.

"Come back to what?" Scion murmured with a confused expression.

He couldn't come back. He was dead. He was nothing but a corpse among the thousands that died in that war. Killed… slaughtered…

"He can't come back," she muttered before throwing a few branches onto her embers.

She wasn't going to fall back to sleep now.

When she had finished five of her pears, Scion had stowed away the last three before moving on. She got past the ocean, losing its salty smell. She crossed a little bit more forest before coming to a vast opening with a few mountains across the large plain. There was a small town by the mountains as well.

She had stopped just outside the forest to make camp for the night.

"So much for sleeping," she muttered, crossing her arms and falling onto her back.

Scion stared up at the stars and sighed slightly. _'What exactly does that mean? Why would Tepid take Asch's place?' _Her brows furrowed at the question. How would a dead person take a living person's place?

"Probably doesn't mean anything," Scion whispered.

'_Yeah… no matter how badly I would want Tepid to take Asch's place.'_

The grass of the plain swayed with a gentle breeze of the night. There was something moving through the grass; scuffing the ground sometimes. _Probably some adventurer or something…' _

"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to Blue Abarath?" a man asked as the footsteps came closer.

Her eyes widened with the voice. Scion had to sit up to make sure that it was someone else that she was about to talk to.

The girl scowled immediately at the man she was looking at. He had stopped at her movement and looked rather confused.

"Great," she muttered, "Now I'm hallucinating."

'_I must still be half asleep…' _

"I beg your pardon miss?" the man asked with a slight laugh.

He took a step closer and Scion glared at him. Who the hell was this man?

"Do I know you at all?" he asked.

"What's your name?" she asked rather fiercely.

"…What?"

"What's your name?" she asked again, more demanding.

"Tepid… but have we met before?"

Scion's teeth gritted together slightly at his name. There was no way that Tepid was still alive… none of them were.

"You tell me," she muttered.

"Well I actually… don't know," the man explained rather sheepishly, "I can't remember anything before the last year or so. All I know is that I fought in a war on Blue Abarath's side."

The girl's eyes narrowed at the explanation. This man looked like him… sounded like him… talked like him… This man didn't remember thought – couldn't remember her at all. She felt her eyes burn with the want to cry. This was Tepid – her one and only Tepid – and he knew nothing about her or their time together.

"So do we know each other?" he questioned again.

"No," she stated, lying back down and rolling onto her side, "Stay the night here and I'll take you back to Blue Abarath later."

"Thank you very much," Tepid said pleasantly before taking a seat.

She gave no reply… just felt the ripping of her heart deepen ever so slightly.

Tepid was supposed to be dead; a piece of the past. The past should never have the chance to become the future. With him being alive and him having forgotten all about her, Scion didn't know what to do. How could she possibly make a decision now?

**End of Chapter 14**

_So… how was __**that**__? I bet that was a real shocker. Some people might have something to say about that… o.O – grabs a garbage can lid for cover – _

_I hope that you all liked it, I know that I did. :D Thank you for reading!_

_Please R&R and thanks again for reading! _

_halfdemon-kai_


	15. Chapter 15

_Hello everyone! I really like what's happening in the story that I couldn't wait long to update again so I wanted to update. xD _

_Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I really love you guys for it. --- hugs you all--- I hope that you all enjoy chapter 15!_

_Please enjoy. :3_

**Chapter 15**

There was rustling around her when morning came. With a small groan, Scion pushed herself to sit up. There was a thudding sound beside her and it caused her to glance over. She was confused to see her straw-blond friend on his knees beside her.

"Do you know this man?" Tepid asked from behind Din, a dagger to the blonde's throat.

"Yes," she sighed, "Let him go."

The dagger was immediately put away and Tepid let both Din and the Cheagle go.

"What are you doing?" she asked the blond with some agitation.

"Keeping you out of trouble," Din replied with a pleasant smile.

"Yeah, you better worry about keeping yourself out of trouble," she scoffed.

"So, what's going on?" Tepid questioned with a cocked brow.

Din got to his feet and turned toward the auburn haired man with a pleasant smile.

"I'm Din. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, shaking Tepid's hand, "And you have already met Scion."

"I'm Tepid," he replied with a slight nod.

'_This has to be the worst thing that could ever happen…' _Scion thought rather dully, getting to her feet.

"So where are you headed?" Din asked.

"Blue Abarath… Your friend Scion said that she would take me."

"We have to go there first," Scion stated, pointing toward the town.

"…Why?"

Scion didn't answer, just started walking through the plain. She could hold the cold exterior, but on the inside she could feel her heart turning. If she stayed away from him then she wouldn't be reminded as to why she loved him so much in the past. _'I chose my future over my past… I guess that means that I choose Din…' _She felt a small smile on her lips but it was ruined when the Cheagle jumped onto her shoulder.

"Get lost," Scion muttered, shrugging to knock it off.

"Mieu," the monster chimed happily, rubbing its head against hers.

"I said get lost," she hissed, pushing the creature from her shoulder.

Din and Tepid caught up to her; one on each side.

"So why do we need to go here?" Tepid asked curiously.

"None of your business," Scion muttered, keeping her eyes forward.

"You could freeze an entire village with that heart," the auburn male laughed lightly.

She shot him a frozen glare and he immediately stopped joking around.

"We need a mineral to fix a sword," Din explained nervously.

"Ah I see," Tepid said thoughtfully, "So we need an inn room before going up the mountain to get the mineral."

'_Yeah… this is definitely the worst thing that has ever happened…' _

* * *

Din couldn't keep his blue eyes from glancing at Scion's face. The name Tepid sounded familiar and he knew that she had mentioned it before. _'Wasn't it the name of her former lover?' _He asked himself with concern. If that was the case then he knew that she would be upset; that it would bother her.

By the look of her, Scion's muscles were tensed and her fists were slightly clenched. She kept her lime green eyes staring forward with a frozen gaze. _'She must not want to really think about it much…' _His blue orbs looked down solemnly at the thought. Didn't she deserve happiness? Why did life have to keep throwing its sick twists at her?

There was a light lick on his right cheek and he smiled lightly. The Cheagle knew something was wrong.

"It's okay little guy," he told it assuringly.

"Why did you bring that thing?" Scion asked with some agitation.

Something was definitely bothering her.

"It worries about you too you know," the straw-blond explained with a pleasant smile on his face, "I'm not the only one."

"It's annoying," she stated, "I'm kind of mad that we saved it."

Din laughed nervously as he felt her glare at him. It had been his idea to help the light green Cheagle out in the first place.

There was a small chuckle from Tepid that made both of them look at him.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I find it kind of amazing."

Scion glared at him next.

"S-so how long have you two been together?" the man asked nervously to change the subject.

Din's eyes widened slightly at the question. _'Are we even __**together**__? Or are we still just friends?' _His mind started to ponder the question. He knew that she was more than just a friend to him, but he didn't know how she felt exactly… Did she want to be with him like that?

"Define together," Scion demanded icily.

The blond felt his heart sink slightly at her words. _'I guess that she's still thinking about it…' _

"Just traveling with one another… unless you two are actually 'together' together," Tepid answered nervously.

Apparently he was afraid of Scion's fury… either that or he felt really awkward with her cold eyes on him.

"A few months," Din answered rather quickly, "I don't really know how long we've been traveling."

'_It's hard to keep track of time with everything happening all at once.' _

"Well I'm glad that I found someone to go back with," Tepid said happily, nudging Scion slightly with his elbow, "I don't think it would be fun going back alone."

Din caught Scion's expression drop slightly and his own expression dropped a little. He wanted to cheer her up, but it was hard to say anything with someone else with them. _'I guess that I'll just have to go to see her tonight and ask what's wrong.' _

"How old are you Din?" Tepid asked pleasantly, trying to start up a conversation he supposed.

"Twenty-five," the blond replied casually, "Yourself?"

"Twenty-three," the auburn male replied.

Scion's eyes seemed to widen at the man's answer and Din cocked a brow slightly. Then her eyes clenched shut slightly, as if she was pushing something away.

Without a thought, Din's gloved hand took hold of hers and she looked up at him with confusion. Her eyes looked slightly torn or agonized as he looked at her. He smiled softly, letting her know that it would be okay. Subconsciously his thumb gently rubbed the back of her hand.

"What about you Scion?" Tepid cut in, ruining the moment.

'_This is going to be difficult…' _He thought with a small sigh.

Scion's fingers gripped Din's hand a little more at the question.

"None of your business," she muttered before her fingers slipped out of Din's hand.

He didn't blame her either.

"Are you always this cold?" the auburn haired male asked with a slight laugh.

"Only to people that bother me," she muttered, glaring ahead of her.

* * *

There was no doubt now… she definitely knew that this Tepid was her once lover. It was for certain. Inside it bothered her that he had been gone for so long and never came home. Even if he didn't remember… why didn't he come back to her sooner? Why now when things were finally turning around? _'It doesn't matter. Tepid being alive isn't going to change anything. The real Scion is too far gone.' _

The town was close by, getting closer each time she looked up from the plain's grass. _'Din must know that something's wrong. He keeps looking at me to make sure…' _

"Have you two been this way before? I feel like I've met one of you before," tepid asked rather thoughtfully.

The girl hated it when he tried to make conversation. It always brought back a wave of memories that tried to be at the front of her mind at once… Most being more intimate ones that she wanted to forget the most.

"_I'm always going to love you no matter what Scion."_

"_You can't promise that."_

"_After just making love to you, I think that I just did."_

"Never," Din replied, "I had never been outside of Valinsa until recently."

"Strange," Tepid murmured.

When they made it to the small town, the sun had started to set behind the mountains. Scion was rather grateful that she would get some space to herself without both Din and Tepid. If she was alone then maybe she could think more clearly without any distractions.

"Well here we are," Din said pleasantly, looking around slightly.

The town was well developed. It didn't look like it was going out of business in any way.

"Must be a mining town or something," Tepid said thoughtfully, "I was only passing through here, so I never really looked around."

'_Good for you.' _Scion thought sarcastically as she kept walking. They wouldn't find the inn if they just stood there in one spot.

Fortunately she didn't have to walk far to see the inn. IT was only a couple of buildings away. Beside it seemed to be a bar of some sort and then a potion shop on the other side.

"They must get a lot of passerby's," Din said, sounding almost interested.

"Who cares?" Scion asked coldly, "We're on enemy territory, remember?"

'_I'm only here because I have to be, not because I want to be…' _

"…enemy territory?" Tepid asked with confusion.

"These are some of the people that you went to war against," Din told him, and for that Scion glared at the blond.

She wanted to keep Tepid as much in the dark as she possibly could. The less he knew then the fewer things could get messed up.

"Let's just go."

Opening the inn door, the innkeeper smiled at them.

"How can I help you?" he asked kindly.

Scion's green orbs watched as Din stepped forward to speak. They narrowed slightly at the action. _'He really understands a lot… doesn't her?' _

"We would like three rooms for a few nights," the blond explained politely.

"Ah, you a couple travelers looking to go search on the mountains?" the innkeeper asked with a small smirk.

"You could say that," Din mused as he gave the innkeeper gold.

"Well be careful when you go up there. There're bandits or something moving around up there," the innkeeper warned.

"We'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Opening his room door, Din looked down the hallway to see if anyone was coming. At first it was empty, but after a moment auburn coloured hair came up the stairs. The blond found himself sighing slightly. There was something about Tepid that bothered him; an instinctive feeling.

"Hey there Din," the man greeted with a grin, "What are you up to?"

"Nothing much," the blond replied with a small smile, "Yourself?"

"I was actually wondering if I could talk to you for a little while," Tepid said while rubbing the back of his head lightly.

"…Me?"

"Yeah, you seem like a good guy and I think I need to talk to someone. I feel like Scion doesn't like me much," he laughed nervously.

"I guess so," Din agreed, opening the door again for them to go in."

The blond leaned against a dresser with crossed arms as Tepid took a seat on the window sill.

"What do you need to talk about?" Din questioned with a cocked brow.

The auburn haired man thought for a few moments before smiling slightly.

"Have you… ever felt like you were missing something before?" Tepid asked, looking up at the blond curiously.

'…_Missing something?' _

"You mean like a piece of yourself?" Din asked, slightly confused.

"Yeah… like the biggest part of yourself isn't there?"

"Occasionally," the blond admitted with a slight shrug, "but it quickly passes anymore… why?"

Tepid shook his head slightly, still smiled a little.

"I feel like I'm **always** missing something," he explained, hanging his head, "I know that I can't remember anything before the war and that missing things is natural… but this feels so wrong… A big piece of my life is missing; completely gone. I have no idea what it is.

"At first I believed that it was because I couldn't remember. Now… now I think that this one thing is so close but I can't find it…"

Din's brows knitted together with confusion. _'How can someone be missing such a big piece of themselves?' _

"I don't know what to do," Tepid murmured; his voice sounding full of anguish.

The blond watched the man's face intently and it truly looked torn.

"Don't give up," he replied, "If you keep searching, then you can't really lose."

"I don't… understand."

"If it's a person then they would let you know that they knew you. If it's an item or a place then once you look at it you'll know it's yours," Din explained calmly.

"I suppose that that makes sense," Tepid agreed with a slight nod, "Thank you Din."

"Always a pleasure," Din nodded as well.

Getting to his feet, Tepid went to the door and turned the knob.

"Have a good night," the man said before leaving.

Once he was gone, Din shook his head slightly. How could someone completely forget everything and **know** that something was missing?

"It doesn't make any sense…" he murmured.

* * *

Scion played with the Cheagle's ears as it slept in her lap. She had nothing better to do with her alone time. _'What should I do?' _She asked herself with sad eyes. Her heart and brain ached from everything that had been occurring around her.

Now she was being forced to choose between Tepid and Din. When she didn't know that Tepid was alive, all she needed to do was to get over him. Now that he was alive… it was different. She couldn't just walk away from it now. She could leave Tepid alone and not come back… but what happened when he remembered everything? He would be betrayed…

Scion knew that she couldn't just leave Din either. He had brought her out of her ring of hell and put his life on the line for hers. She wasn't the same anymore and he had accepted that; accepted her as she was without a second thought. No matter which road she chose to take she would end up betraying someone… hurting them deeply.

"_I'd come to save you even if you were farther than Valinsa… you're worth it."_

"**Am** I worth it?" she murmured quietly, lifting the Cheagle's one ear higher than the other.

The Cheagle thought so… but did Din? Were they more than words to him?

"_We'll be together forever."_

Her eyes fell and narrowed slightly, "Liar."

There was a knock on her room door, causing her to jump slightly.

"…Hello?" she asked with confusion.

Why would someone come to her room now? Shouldn't everyone have been asleep?

"Can I come in?" Din's voice asked from the hallway.

"Go ahead."

The door opened slowly before the straw-blond stepped into the room. From the corner of her eye Scion saw him smile slightly at seeing her.

"I thought you hated that thing," Din mused as he shut the door quietly.

"I do," she murmured, "but it's interesting when it's not bothering me."

"That's a strange logic," he laughed lightly.

"To you," Scion stated, lime green eyes looking up at him.

He smiled at her almost sympathetically, and she cocked a brow. _'Why is he giving me that look?'_

"How are you feeling?" the blond asked gently.

"Kind of… lost…" she admitted, murmuring.

"Is it because of that man?" he prodded; concerned.

Without really thinking about it, Scion nodded her head.

It was so easy to talk to Din now. Compared to when she had first met him, scion knew that she could trust him with anything. He didn't just listen… he understood.

His finger tilted her head up to look at him and her brows furrowed at the action.

"It must be painful for you," he murmured; blue orbs locked with lime green ones, "but you can get through this… **we** can get through this."

'_I don't really know how true that is…' _Her eyes looked away from his almost shamefully. How could she even consider hurting him after everything?

Scion felt the bed shift slightly as Din took a seat at her crossed legs.

"Do you miss him?" he asked gently.

She felt it then, the tears that were burning at her eyes. When she blinked, a few tears fell freely down her cheeks.

"I miss **them**," she whispered with an anguished expression.

His arms were around her shoulders then, holding her to him tightly. She accepted his warmth and leaned her head against his. She felt comfort in his embrace; a kind that she had never really felt before.

"It's okay," he whispered assuringly, "I miss my family too."

* * *

He couldn't take it anymore. Knowing that she was in pain burned at him until he held her in his arms. He needed to comfort her and let her know that she wasn't alone.

He moved to the pillow end of the bed and Scion rested her head in his lap. He kept a hand on her back for comfort as her fingers grasped at his shirt. She held onto it and they sat in silence for a while.

Din knew that he enjoyed being with her just as friends, but he longed for more than that. Inside he knew that Scion did as well. The way she talked to him or reacted to his touch told him that. Lying with her now – comforting her like he was – was something he always wanted to do. He never felt such contentment with anyone other than her.

"Please don't leave me Din," Scion pleaded quietly, gripping his shirt a little tighter.

"I don't Scion," he murmured with a gentle smile, "I won't."

**End of Chapter 15**

_So… how was that? Was it good? It was kind of a boring chapter but I guess it gives hint as to what's to come in the next chapter or two… o.O I hope that you all liked it anyway! _

_Thank you so much for reading!_

_Please R&R and I'll try to update again soon. _

_I know you're all there! –points to the readers—_

_:3_

_halfdemon-kai_

_I'm sorry that Din's feeling at the end are a little corny. -- sweat drops--_


	16. Chapter 16

_Hey everyone! It's been a little while since I last updated this and I really like this chapter so I couldn't wait to get it out there for you all to read. :3 I really hope that you all enjoy it. _

_Thank you to those who have read and reviewed. You honestly make me really happy. And no, I'm not just saying that. :D_

_Please enjoy!_

**Chapter 16**

He opened his eyes slightly with a small smile on his face. His arm adjusted slightly, wrapping around soft fur. It took a few minutes for his mind to work through the morning haze and he realized that fur wasn't the right thing to be feeling. Looking down, Din sighed at the sight of the Cheagle wrapped in his arm. His arm loosened then and the small creature rolled onto its side in its sleep.

"I wish she would stop doing that," he murmured, his head looking to the side.

* * *

The rocks underneath her foot slipped out of the cliff side. She scowled at the strain the motion made her arms have. _'It's like hanging out the window all over again…'_

She could have been like any other person and taken the walkway trail up the mountain, but she felt that climbing would get her strength back. After bring bed-ridden for at least a week in Valinsa she had lost a large amount of what she had.

"Damn it," she muttered, pulling herself higher.

There hadn't been much time to train either.

When she climbed to the walkway, Scion hung her elbows on the ledge to hold herself up.

"Need a hand?" a familiar voice asked pleasantly.

She scowled instantly; not taking his hand for help. The last person that helped her from hanging out a window got her dressed up in fancy clothes.

"Stop following me," she growled, pulling her lower body onto the ledge.

"I'm not following you. If I was then I would be on the cliff side behind you," Tepid chimed with a grin.

Scion sat for a moment, trying to catch her breath.

"Go back to the inn where you're supposed to be," she demanded coldly, wincing at the strained muscles in her arms.

The auburn haired man shook his head, "Nope, can't do that."

"Why the hell not?"

"The innkeeper warned us about bandits, and without a weapon you would be vulnerable," he explained, still grinning, "So I thought that it was my duty to escort you up the mountain."

"He warned us about **something**. He didn't know what," Scion replied icily as she got to her feet.

At the fast motion, the girl wobbled on the edge for a moment. A hand immediately pulled her back onto the walkway; her face buried in Tepid's chest. Her brows furrowed as she felt her cheeks heat up slightly at the contact.

"Are you okay?" he asked, arms wrapped around her shoulders protectively.

"Just peachy," she muttered, "Now let me go."

"Oh… sorry," he murmured, his own small blush forming on at the top of his cheeks.

He immediately let go, though he seemed rather reluctant and she scowled at that fact.

She continued top walk up the walkway from there, finding no use in being amusement for Tepid.

"Sorry about that… back there," he apologized from close behind her, "I've never really hugged anyone before…"

'_Yes you have.' _She thought with a dull expression on her face.

"Especially not a girl. I don't think I've ever kissed a girl either…"

'_Lots of times.' _

"I guess that if I've never kissed a girl then that definitely means that I've never been to bed with one-"

"Ugh!" Scion groaned in annoyance before smacking him upside the head, "Would you just shut up already?!"

"Ow!"

* * *

Din shook his head as we walked through the market. If they were going to stay a few days then they would at least need a little bit of food. At least more than the pears that Scion had stashed away. _'She better eat those soon or else they're going to stink really bad…'_ Shaking his head, the blond couldn't help but laugh a little. Some of the things she did were strange.

"Oh well," he murmured with a smile, "She's still Scion."

* * *

"What was that for?" Tepid asked, running the back of his head with agitation.

Scion didn't give an answer and continued walking silently.

"Bad time to take up the Silent Treatment," he muttered with a slight scowl.

"You deserved it," she stated emotionlessly.

"Why?"

"Because I deemed that you deserved it."

"That's not a real answer," he nearly muttered.

"You deserve it for talking like an idiot."

"I was just thinking out loud."

"Then maybe you shouldn't think," Scion suggested with a shrug.

"What is it with you? Why do you hate me so much?"

'_Because you're the fiancée that left and took all his promises with him.' _She thought almost hatefully, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"It's none of your business," she replied coldly.

Tepid ran ahead of her and stood in her path. Her brows furrowed at his actions and her lime green eyes locked with his dark blue ones. His face was stern and serious. Apparently he really wanted that answer.

"I am my business," Tepid stated, "I want to know why someone that I have never met before doesn't even talk to me."

Anger fueled her wounds then. Her expression became venomous with his words.

"You don't know anything that you're talking about," she growled at him, "You have no idea, nor do you deserve reasons!"

Tepid's expression became confused with her words and she moved him to the side. _'How could he ever understand what he put me through? Even if I told him everything it wouldn't make a difference.' _

"We **have **met before, haven't we?" he asked from behind her.

Her footsteps almost halted for a moment at his question and her eyes narrowed.

"Who cares," she muttered before continuing up the mountain.

Things fell silent; all except for their footsteps and the wind blowing around them. _'I should have pushed him off the mountain while I still that the chance.' _Scion thought as she shook her head slightly. She was getting too involved again. Her heart was yearning for Tepid again and she hated it. Why couldn't he just let her move on like she was supposed to?

The rocks along the mountainside shifted as small pebbles fell. Scion's eyes narrowed at the motion before looking above her. _'Why are people coming this way?' _

"Help! Bandits!" a woman cried before running past the two.

There was a small thudding sound behind her that drew Scion's attention.

"Holy-"

Her body acted too fast for her to really understand what was happening. Her hands grabbed his wrists tightly and his weight pulled on hers. Scion's boots slipped slightly on the rocks before she pulled Tepid backward. _'Damn stupid woman!' _She hissed in her head before shifting her weight slightly to throw Tepid to the hard ground.

"I guess that we're even now," he muttered, rubbing his temple slightly.

"Not yet," Scion muttered as she saw the men coming down the walkway trail.

Her fists clenched at the sight of the bandits. _'It's at times like this that I wish my sword wasn't broken…' _Ten men lined up one behind the other.

"Well the other woman might have gotten away, but now we've got ourselves a better one!" the man in front cried, raising his sword.

"I don't think so," Scion muttered, charging at the lead bandit.

"Scion, what are you doing?" Tepid asked, sounding horrified.

Tackling the bandit to the ground, Scion rolled to the side before throwing the bandit over the side. His cry was easily silenced by the rocky ledges below.

"You're going to regret that," another bandit threatened.

Before she could dodge the bandit's sword, Tepid's blocked the strike over her head. He parried the attack before wrapping his arm around her waist and turned her away from the bandit. His sword ran the bandit through and Scion was stunned for a moment.

"You waiting for an invitation?" he asked, blocking another attack.

"No!"

"Then what are you waiting for?"

The ground below Scion began to glow and she pushed to expand the field of fonons. _'Come on… come on…' _Her body began to shake from the strain and effort of the attack she wanted. Static shocked at her hands as she felt the power grow.

"What the heck are you doing?" Tepid asked with both worry and confusion.

"Run!" one of the bandits cried above the shouting.

"Lightning Tempest!"

Four bolts of lightning struck the ground in the field of fonons; starting to rotate around the remaining bandits. Scion grabbed the back of Tepid's shirt and pulled him away from the bolts of lightning. The electricity contracted and struck each bandit before causing an explosion. Cries of the men faded as they fell off the cliff side and bits of rocks fell around her.

Once the cloud of dust cleared, Scion looked back at Tepid; who was watching her with curiosity.

"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked, sounding astounded with what happened.

Scion winced as she tried to catch her breath.

"A book," she murmured, coughing slightly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, at her side immediately.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked again, placing his hands on her shoulders to hold her up.

Scion's lime green eyes glared at him for the contact.

"Yeah," he murmured, "You're fine."

Scion looked at the damage she had caused from her arte and shook her head.

"I guess that we're climbing," she murmured emotionlessly.

There was a large chunk of mountain missing in the corner of the walkway trail. It was too big to jump over.

"Seems that way."

With a shrug, Scion started climbing to the trail above.

* * *

Din rested his head against his room window as he looked at the mountain. He saw a bright flash on the mountain and he knew that it was Scion. When a few bodies flew from the mountainside, he was definitely sure that it was her. _'That takes care of the bandit problem.' _He thought with a small smile.

The only real thing about Scion's absence that bothered him was that she was with Tepid. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what was bothering him about the auburn haired man. There was just something about that man that made Din feel protective. Even if people hit their heads and lose their memory, they don't always lose everything. It usually all came flooding back. _'Over a year now and he still remembers nothing?' _

His blue orbs looked back up the mountainside. Getting the Blue Abarath was important to fix Scion's sword. He knew that it was something she needed.

"Please come back safely Scion," he whispered, closing his eyes.

* * *

The two made it to the cave near the top of the mountain. The sun had started to go down and Scion believed that it was time to rest. Using and trying to alter her arte with her fonons had drained a lot of her energy. Climbing the mountain didn't help either.

'_I still wish that he had gone back to the inn.' _Scion cast her eyes at the resting Tepid. His eyes were closed and his head was resting against the tone wall of the cave. She admitted that she missed his features a lot when she had been alone. Now, when she looked into his dark blue eyes and looked at his tanned face… it all looked for foreign.

Kind blue eyes were colder r harder. He stood up with good posture and his face looked a little more grown up. _'It's the same… but at the same time it isn't…' _Her expression dropped slightly at the thought.

Lime green eyes looked away from his face and stared at the cave wall.

"Scion… whatever I did to you before now… I'm sorry," Tepid apologized rather quietly, his eyes half open.

Her eyes were solemn as they stared ahead.

"I really can't remember everything," he explained quietly, "I remember a few things here and there but they only last a few seconds…"

She didn't say anything; didn't **want** to say anything.

All she had wanted was a chance to move on and that wish was getting destroyed. If she fell back in love with Tepid, she would constantly be reminded about the past… about no longer having her three brothers. _'It's not the same…' _

"Just please… try to forgive me."

Scion sighed inwardly and turned her head away slightly. Maybe it would be possible one day… but just not right now. Just like how she had never completely forgiven Asch. She still blamed him, and doubted that she would every stop blaming him.

Closing her eyes, Scion drifted off into sleep.

"_I've come back Scion. I've come back to end all of your pain."_

Her body jerked awake and the girl looked around the cave entrance with some confusion. Tepid was asleep in the same place and he brows furrowed as she thought.

Getting to her feet silently, Scion quietly walked past Tepid and deeper into the cave. It wasn't very dark inside with the sunlight casting inside. _'I probably don't have much time before he wakes up…'_ She ran deeper into the cave and looked at each side of her. There wasn't much sign of the solid stone that she needed.

"Damn it," she cursed, continuously glancing around her.

The girl tripped over a rock that was sticking out of the ground and fell right onto her stomach. With a grunt, she looked up from the dark cave floor. _'Well that was fun…' _She thought dully before pushing herself to her feet. Her arms shook from the pressure of the action.

"Here," he yawned as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "Let me help you up."

Tepid lifted her to her feet and Scion scowled at the action.

"If you keep wandering off like that you're going to get lost or hurt," he told her with a slight laugh.

"You don't know hurt," she muttered, looking above them.

"Is that supposed to be a shot?" he questioned.

"No. It has nothing to do with you," the girl said emotionlessly, "I think that's it right there."

Above her head was a jagged piece of rock that shone with the light coming from the morning sun.

"How do you propose were get it out?" he asked almost sarcastically, "You want to blow the place up?"

"Gladly."

The man shook his head slightly at her response. Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Scion unsheathed his sword and took it.

"Hey!"

"Shut up," she muttered before sticking the edge of the blade into the rocks over her head.

Dust fell down and into her hair and on her face. She made a face at the feeling. Shifting the blade to loosen the stone, Scion pulled the sword out of the rocks. She then did the same to the other side before moving out of the way. The blue stone fell out of the ceiling of the cave and Scion smirked in triumph.

"Impressive," Tepid muttered.

"Butt kisser," she retorted as she walked by him with the stone.

The two walked out of the cave and the auburn haired man held his hands out to Scion.

"Here, I'll carry it," he offered.

She glared at him for considering it.

"I'm just trying to help."

"I can take care of myself," she stated simply, walking down the walkway trail.

* * *

Leaning against the doorframe, Din smiled when he saw the two return. It was pouring rain outside; a bad time to be up on the mountain.

"So that's it?" the straw-blond questioned, stepping forward to greet her.

Scion nodded before walking into the inn with the blue stone. He made a face at her actions. _'What's wrong with her?' _He wondered with confusion.

"I don't know how you do it Din," Tepid stated rather quietly, "Someone that cold being the only person to talk to would drive me insane."

"She's not that bad," Din laughed slightly, "She just doesn't want to let you in that's all."

"I wonder why," Tepid murmured thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't be able to tell you."

Without casting a glance toward Tepid, Din followed Scion into the inn. He went to the second floor to Scion's room; his and Tepid's being on the third. He didn't knock, just opened the door slowly.

Scion was sitting on the end of her bed with her one elbow on her knee. Her hand cupped her chin as she stared at the jagged stone on the dresser.

"Are you okay?" the blond asked gently.

"I guess so," she murmured, not turning away from the stone, "I just want to get this over with now… I want to go home."

"We'll spend the night here and then we'll leave in the morning," Din explained with a small smile on his face, "Rain or shine, we'll head back."

"Sounds good," she agreed with a small nod.

"Hey guys," Tepid called from the hallway, "The town's celebrating the bandits being killed. They're all at the bar. Let's go have some fun."

His head appeared in the doorway and Scion cocked a brow at Din.

He smiled at her and nodded his head.

"Sure, why not," the blond agreed, holding a hand out to Scion.

She hesitated for a moment before taking his hand.

"It'll be fun," Tepid promised with a smile.

"I bet," Scion muttered rather sarcastically.

* * *

"Can we get another round of sake over here?" Tepid's voice called over to the waitress.

For the amount he had to drink, he seemed perfectly sober. _'I didn't know that he liked to drink…' _

"Here you are," the waitress said with a smile, placing a bottle and three new cups on the table they were sitting at.

Din looked okay. He didn't look or sound too far gone. Scion had only had about five and she could feel the dizziness kicking in. She groaned slightly when things spun around.

"How come you left so early Scion?" Din asked quietly.

"I left you a note," she stated with confusion.

"…Really? I must have missed it…"

"Apparently," Tepid mused with a grin.

He took down another drink before pouring another one.

"Come on Scion, drink up," the man chided.

She groaned before drinking the sake.

"Okay, I need a walk," she murmured before pushing out her chair and standing up.

Both men looked at her with confusion.

"But it's raining outside," Tepid whined.

"That's why I need a walk."

"Don't get lost," Din told her with a smile.

"I won't," she muttered as she turned to walk away.

Going outside, Scion left the loud, noisy voices inside and stepped out into the rain. She stumbled on the steps slightly as the world blurred. _'Damn it. Why did I let them convince me to do this?' _Leaning against a wall, Scion sat down on a wet patch of grass.

The cool rain felt refreshing against her skin compared to the air in the stuffy bar. She sighed as it felt like the rain was washing away everything that was happening. It was relaxing to feel her brain settle. Her wet bangs hung on her forehead and dripped the rain down her face. _'I'm not even a very easily persuaded either… Damn it Din! Damn your gentle smile and face and… and damn your blond hair!' _She smiled at the thought.

"Damn everything," she murmured rather happily.

Scion had to admit that the turning feeling in her stomach wasn't very pleasant. Nor was the pressure the sake put on her head, but somehow she felt elated outside. The rain really did feel good on the skin…

**End of Chapter 16**

_Woo! I love that chapter. I don't know why. I think maybe it's all the feelings that Scion's having about Tepid now that she didn't think she'd feel before. It makes me happy to know that things are going along and working out well… And yes, that's right, I got Scion half drunk! I said it out loud! xD _

_Thank you so much for reading. I love you guys for it. _

_Please R&R, 'cause I know you're all there!_

_halfdemon-kai_


	17. Chapter 17

_Hey everyone! I know that it hasn't really been that long since I last updated this story but I got too excited and I just had to update. :D I really like this chapter. _

_Thank you so much to those who have read and reviewed so far. I'm really glad that you're all taking the time to read it. :3_

_Please enjoy. :3 _

**Chapter 17**

A loud coughing broke Scion out of her small nap. Her head lifted off her curled up knees to see a man leaving the bar. Her brows knitted together with confusion. _'How late is it?' _She asked herself with a groan. Her head was still fuddled from the sake, but by the sound of it everyone had gone home from the bar.

The rain was just a drizzle now; the rain clouds making the night sky even darker.

"I should probably… go back now…" she murmured tiredly as she pushed herself to her feet.

Scion didn't think that she had been asleep for that long. People had been leaving the bar at the point she could remember to.

She didn't stumble as she walked back to the inn beside the bar. _'I never want to do that again… Drinking really isn't worth it…' _Opening the door to the inn, the light stung at her eyes.

"Are you just getting back miss?" a young maid asked with a kind smile.

"I guess so…" Scion replied cautiously.

Was she going to get in trouble?

"Could I please ask you to remove your boots before going to your room? The rain does make the roads rather muddy," the maid explained nervously.

Scion nodded before undoing her laces and slipping the black boots off.

The maid held out her hands to take them and Scion cocked a brow at her actions.

"I can put these in a place to dry miss," the maid explained.

"Oh," the girl replied quietly, handing her boots reluctantly to the maid.

'_She better not lose those…' _She thought suspiciously before going up the stairs. _'If she does lose them then she's in so much trouble…' _

The wooden floors felt good under the balls of her cold feet as she went up the stairs to the third floor. _'I got those boots as a gift from… someone… No, wait… I bought them.' _

"I guess I better tell Din that I'm back," she mumbled to herself as she went to his room door.

Before she could knock, the door opened and lime green eyes locked with surprised dark blue ones.

It took a moment for her to register that it was Tepid and not Din.

"What… what are you doing?" Scion asked with confusion, "This is Din's room."

"He drank too much and I had to help him to bed," he explained, rubbing the back of his head slightly, "He drank more than I did."

That didn't sound right. Din didn't seem like much of a drinker.

"How come you're perfectly sober?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"I can handle it a lot better than a lot of people."

For a moment, all Tepid did was look at Scion with a strange look in his eye. There was something about it that made her shift uncomfortably.

"Can I see him?" she asked.

Tepid opened the door more and he stepped out of the way. There was Din, lying on his side with his head resting on the pillow.

"Um… Scion?"

She looked at Tepid with slightly narrowed eyes at his words.

"Could I possibly… talk to you alone for a few minutes?" the man questioned.

His expression was yearning… almost begging. It caused her to sigh slightly.

"I guess so…"

Tepid went across the hall and opened his room door. He waited with his arm against the door as a gesture to go in. Shaking her head slightly, she reluctantly went into the room. He closed the door behind him as he came in after her.

"What do you want?" Scion asked with slightly furrowed brows.

This was the last place that she wanted to be; in a room alone with him.

"Silver…" she heard him murmured.

"What?"

Scion turned to look at him with cold eyes. His hand touched her silver long silver locks on the right side of her head. Her eyes widened with surprise before they narrowed with suspicion.

"While we were in the bar… I remember long silver hair," Tepid explained quietly, "I remember the warmth of another person's skin… those bright green eyes looking up at me through the darkness."

The girl's eyes became cautious – guarded – at his words. She went to back away, but his hand grabbed her wrist to pull her back.

"What have you done to yourself, Scion?" the auburn haired man asked with a slightly anguished expression in his eyes.

"Why does it matter to you?" she hissed, glaring at him coldly, "You were gone and weren't coming back."

"What so you mean 'why does it matter'?" he asked with confusion.

"You were dead; they told me you were **dead**," Scion growled with clenched fists, "I lived a year without you; by myself. That's what I mean 'why does it matter' to you."

Tepid looked unsure of himself for a moment before his hands grabbed her shoulders. He pulled her into him and captured her lips. Lime green eyes widened at the action and a feeling rose within the pit of her stomach. _'I don't want to… It's not right…' _Her mind was still foggy from the sake…

When he pulled away, his dark blue orbs looked into hers intently.

"I remember… It matters to me because I loved you," he whispered, "I still love you…"

He went forward again and when his lips connected with her, Scion felt her cheeks flush slightly. _'He still… loves me?' _She asked herself with confusion.

Without meaning to, she gave into temptation and began kissing him back. Her skin was burning with desire… wanting his hands to touch he all over again. The kiss deepened as his hand traced over her shoulders and down her arms. The mere touch was like starting a fire… starting the yearning for him.

Tepid's hands undid the zipper that held her sleeveless jacket closed and he slid it off her shoulders. There was a soft thud as it fell to the floor, going unheard as the kiss continued. His warm hands left her arms and went to the bare skin of her midriff. A small gasp escaped her throat at the touch and she felt him smile against her lips. _'Why is this happening? Why am I letting him do this?' _Her brows furrowed with confusion.

Suddenly her back was to the wall and his lips started to trace kisses down her neck. Her muscles tensed at the feeling of him nipping her skin.

"It's okay Scion," he murmured before lightly licking the base of her neck, "Relax."

His lips continued down her shoulder bone and she still felt tense. It felt right… but at the same time it felt very wrong.

Hands pinned her wrists to the wall as well; his fingers playing with the bangle on her right wrist. Her eyes looked over, inspecting the piece of jewelry. They widened as Tepid stared to suck at the skin on her shoulder. _'It doesn't feel right because __**he**__ wouldn't do that… Tepid wouldn't force me to do this. This isn't Tepid at all!' _

Static bounced off her skin as she concentrated on her fonons. They shocked the imposter and forced him away. Her brows were furrowed and her lime green eyes were filled with anger.

"What was that for?" he asked, apparently agitated with his mood being ruined.

"You're not Tepid!" she growled.

"What? Of course I am!" the man protested.

"No, you're not!" Scion hissed hatefully, "You might look and sound exactly like him, but I know you're not. Even if Tepid lost his memory, he wouldn't change how he treated other people."

The man's brows knitted together and he paused in his actions. _'Now that he's been found out… I wonder what he'll do…' _

"I'm a replica…" he muttered with anguished eyes.

Scion glared coldly at him at his words.

"…How?"

"We are replicas of soldiers that were captured in the war. For a year we were trained to fight and kill… Once we were finished we were sent to our original home towns."

"…To do what?"

"To spy on the people that defeated us in the war… Us being this kingdom," the man explained rather coldly.

"Why are you telling me then? I am a citizen of Blue Abarath," Scion asked, almost cautious in her confusion.

"Every replica starts out blank; no memories, no thoughts, no anything. When I saw you for the first time… there was something familiar. I remember how Tepid really felt about you," he explained, his expression anguished again, "I really do… love you."

Scion's eyes narrowed at his explanation. _'If he was going back to Blue Abarath to kill people… then that would mean he would have been sent to watch me…' _

"I seriously doubt that," she muttered, grabbing her jacket off the floor.

"What are you doing?" he asked urgently, reaching a hand to her.

"Leaving."

"But you loved Tepid and I love you. Wouldn't it be just like being with him again?" the replica asked, sounding rather upset.

"You're **not** Tepid," she growled, glaring hatefully at him, "You should be happy that you both have one thing in common besides appearance."

He cocked a brow at her words; looking confused.

"You're both good at lying," she hissed before leaving the room.

The door slammed shut behind her and her cold bare feet touched the wooden hallway floor. _'That lying bastard! I can't believe that I fell for it!' _Her jaw clenched at the thought. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she walked down the hallway.

She was angry; angry with both the replicated Tepid and herself. Tepid, for lying to her and putting on a face in front of her, and herself for going against Din… for going back to her past. He had tricked her… and she had fallen for it. _'How could I have been so stupid?' _She asked herself as she slammed her room door shut.

"Damn it!" she hissed, seething.

The room was dark as she sat on the bed. Eyes stared at the jagged piece of blue stone on the dresser. _'Every step I take causes a disaster. Everywhere I go, I just make a mess of things…' _Her brows knitted together hatefully at the thought. _'Din is better for me than Tepid… my __**future**__ is more important than my __**past**__'_

Lying back, Scion stared up at the ceiling and sighed. She needed to know what to do. They could leave tomorrow morning; leave the replicated Tepid behind. _'He would come anyway and get the people at home killed…' _They had been replicated to go back to Blue Abarath and spy on the people there; kill them eventually. The replicas would kill the people that had known them before the war. _'I guess… that we'll have to find them and kill them…'_

Turning her head to the side, Scion closed her eyes for the night.

"Who knows," she murmured tiredly, "Maybe something bad won't happen…"

* * *

Din groaned when he felt something tug on his hair. His heavy lids didn't want to open, even with the forsaken tugging.

"Get him," he heard a voice cheer, "Wake him up."

He was confused at the tone. _'Why would she even be talking to it?' _The blond asked himself with confusion.

When a small tongue licked his cheek, Din reluctantly opened his eyes.

"I guess the 'if I ignore it, it will go away' theory doesn't apply here," her voice said with some amusement.

His blurry vision landed on her smirking face and he smiled slightly.

"What are you doing here?" the straw-blond asked with a yawn.

"Waking you up," Scion stated as she pushed off the wall she was leaning on, "Apparently the Cheagle is actually useful for something."

Din shook his head with amusement. _'She really hates that thing.' _

He sat up and fought through the morning grogginess. He needed to wake up if they were leaving. Yawning again, Din sat in place for a few moments.

"Why are we leaving so early?" he questioned with a cocked brow.

"The bastard left before we did," she almost hissed, "We have to stop him from getting to Blue Abarath."

"I thought we were taking him to Blue Abarath," Din murmured, stopping him self from yawning again.

"We were, but that was before."

A moment passed of nothing but silence. Was she going to explain to him what was happening?

"Din…"

Scion faltered for a moment and her brows furrowed; trying to think of how to say it he assumed.

"Remember how I was bothered by Tepid?" she asked.

He nodded, thinking it best just to let her speak.

"At first I thought that it was him because they both had the same face and voice… the only thing missing was his memory," Scion explained rather solemnly, "I thought that if I pushed him away then he would never remember the past, that we were ever even together.

"Last night… I realized that he wasn't my Tepid. He stole his name and used it as his own."

"I don't understand how he could have the same face-"

"That bastard was a replica of my Tepid; created to spy on and kill the people in Blue Abarath," she cut him off, "We have to stop him."

Din paused for a moment, looking at Scion with a concerned expression.

"What are you going to do once we catch up to him?" he asked, an aching feeling in his chest.

What is she actually wanted Tepid back? What would happen between them?

"We have to kill him," she stated emotionlessly, "And any other replicas born to do the same thing as him."

"There's no thought of going to be with him?" the blond asked.

"No!" she replied icily, "Why would I need him when I have you right here?"

Din smiled at her response. _'That's a good answer, even if she said it like that.' _

"Are we going after him or not?"

* * *

The sky was grey as they crossed the field; wind blowing violently. Scion's eyes were cold as she glared ahead at the man walking before them. The replica stopped and they were a few meters away from him. They were in the middle of the plain with just the sound of the wind.

There was a moment where the replicated Tepid turned to the side; his head cast their way. His eyes were both cold and anguished at the same time.

"I should have known that you would catch me," the man laughed without humor, "You can't just let me get away to do my job."

Din's arms pushed Scion back slightly; standing in front of her protectively.

The blond drew his sword from its sheath before a blast of air was thrown at them. Din's sword cut through it, dispersing the attack. _'Since when could Tepid use artes?' _Her brows furrowed with confusion before she dropped her piece of blue stone to the ground.

"Then I'm sorry, but I guess it means that I have to kill you," the auburn haired man replied, sounding apologetic before casting another air arte.

Scion pushed Din out of the way before dodging to the side to avoid the sharp air. _'So artes are how you want to play…' _

"Earthquake!" she growled, pushing herself up slightly to get to her feet.

The ground began to shake underneath them; making both men look at her with worry. Jagged rocks burst out of the ground from underneath the replicated Tepid, throwing him into the air.

The two watched as he turned in the air to land easily on his feet. She scowled as he unsheathed his sword.

"I forgot that you could do that too," the replica muttered, his expression cold.

"I wasn't aware that you even could," Scion hissed.

She saw him shrug slightly before coming at her. Her brows furrowed as he drew closer and she was without a sword. _'Damn it…'_

Not a moment passed before Din's sword intervened and parried Tepid backward. They started to fight; pushing each other back with their swords and blocking each strike before going into another. Scion's muscles tensed as she watched. The two seemed almost evenly matched. Din's strikes were precise and smooth but the replica's were rapid and full of power. _'I should be in there… not Din.' _

She couldn't use any artes otherwise she might hit the straw-blond as well.

"Damn it," she muttered.

How was she supposed to help if she had nothing to help with? _'I guess that I could always throw rocks at him…' _She pondered the idea but then realized that she didn't have the best aim.

There was a slash against flesh and her lime green eyes widened as Din fell to a knee. Another slash and he was lying on his back, trying to get back to his feet. Her feet immediately took off toward the two.

"You should be grateful that it ends here. I won't be so easy on anyone once I reach Blue Abarath," Tepid mused with a slight smirk.

Shifting her weight, Scion brought her leg around and round kicked the replica in the chest. The force knocked him back, pushing him away from the injured Din.

She looked back at the blond and saw him wincing.

"Din, are you okay?" she asked, "Can you move?"

"Yeah," the blond gasped.

"Pass me your sword."

Din tossed the sword to her and she turned back toward the replica slowly getting to his feet.

"I wasn't aware that you were that strong," the auburn haired man chuckled slightly.

"You weren't aware of anything," Scion hissed, seething at the sight of the man.

"Now Scion, if you don't move out of the way… then I'll have to kill you too," Tepid said lowly, his face almost solemn.

"Weren't you going to do that anyway?" she asked, glaring.

"No… the soldiers in this kingdom were."

"Well if I was going to die, then why not just kill me now?" she questioned, readying herself for any attack that he would attempt.

Tepid's expression became slightly anguished at her words; wincing with them.

"You know why I can't do that," he nearly muttered.

"I am not moving from here. I will protect Din and the people in Blue Abarath from you," Scion hissed, "Kill me now if you want to do your job."

'_I'll die here to protect Din. My place is right here, protecting Din from Tepid.' _Eyes narrowed as the man came closer.

"I can't kill you Scion… I can't do it…"

He stopped only a few feet away from her. Silence was between them as the wind blew. After a moment, she watched as Tepid raised his sword.

"What are you doing?" she asked, confused at his actions as he pointed the end to his stomach.

Her eyes became wide once he thrust his own sword through his stomach. In the eighteen years she had been alive… never had she seen someone kill themselves.

The older girl fell to her knees at the sight in front of her. Her body shuddered violently – uncontrollably – as she saw the auburn haired man cough up blood.

His head turned and he smiled at her.

"Goodbye Scion…" he whispered weakly, "I really… did love… you."

Everything seemed to stop; no sound, no feeling… nothing. She didn't understand why he would do something like that. Why would he take his own life for the sake of hers? _'Stupid… That's stupid… He didn't love me. He just thought that he did.' _She looked away from the dead man and went to Din.

The straw-blond was unconscious; lying in the long grass. Her expression became solemn as she lifted his weight onto hers. She went to the jagged blue rock and picked it up. Slowly, she started to make her way toward the forest. _'There's got to be a road in there somewhere… There has to be…' _

* * *

A carriage stopped on the road; a man stepping off of it. She groaned as the footsteps stopped right in front of her.

"What is it?" a voice asked from the carriage.

"A girl and a man, he looks wounded!" another voice called from above her.

There was a shuffle on the short grass and she could see a blurry face in front of her.

"Are you okay?" the same voice asked.

"Have to… get to… Blue Abarath…" she whispered, "Have to…"

"Hey, get over here and help me get them both into the carriage!"

"Where are we taking them?"

"Blue Abarath."

* * *

Scion stirred slightly, confused to by lying on a familiar bed. The smell was comforting, better than the smell of the salty ocean. _'Where… am I?' _She asked herself, stirring to roll onto her side. Her eyes opened slightly, being greeted by the light of the afternoon sun. The light shone off the ocean, making the light all the more brighter.

She buried her face into the pillow to make the light go away.

"How are you feeling Scion?" a soft woman's voice asked her.

Her green eyes peered to the side as she lifted her head slightly to see who it was. There stood Dailiin with a pleasant smile on her lips. With a groan, Scion buried her face back in the pillow.

"You and Din were pretty beat up," Dailiin laughed slightly, "though you were more exhausted than anything else. Din was more wounded."

'…_Wounded?' _

Scion pushed herself up almost immediately with the Empress's words.

"Is he okay?" she asked, worried.

"He's resting for now but his wounds were pretty deep. Whatever happened over there, you two sure made a mess."

The girl jumped out of the bed before going to the door. It opened before she could open it and she was met with angry teal eyes.

"I thought I told you that you would be on your own over there," Syft muttered with agitation.

"It's not my fault that Din followed me," Scion retorted.

"Thanks to you we had to pay a fairly large carriage fare so the driver would go back to his territory," the Emperor continued.

"What carriage? I don't remember a carriage."

"Well you own me ten thousand gald," Syft stated.

"I do not. I don't remember anything about a carriage," the girl said coldly, "Now excuse me. I have someone that I need to go see."

Syft scowled as Scion passed him easily. A carriage fare… she knew nothing about a carriage. At least… not that she could remember.

Opening the door next to her room, she went in to see a sleeping Din lying under the covers of his bed. His one arm was bandaged and his breathing was slow. Her expression fell slightly as the door shut behind her.

'_It's my fault that he's in this condition…' _He turned his head slightly and a small smile formed on his lips. It made her brows knit together with concern when her eyes met with his blue ones. Even though he was wounded… he still looked so happy.

"How are you?" he asked pleasantly, voice sounding tired.

"Better than you," Scion murmured with a concerned expression.

"Probably," the blond laughed lightly before wincing.

She took a step forward out of worry and she heard Din sigh slightly.

"I was more worried about you though," he murmured rather sheepishly.

"You could have died and you were more worried about me?" she asked almost doubtfully.

"You've been through more than I have," Din admitted, "I didn't have to be worried about me."

Scion's expression dropped slightly; becoming solemn with his words. _'Why are you always worried about me?' _

She watched as Din pushed himself to a sitting position.

"You should worry about yourself more…"

"Maybe," he laughed.

Scion felt awkward just standing where she was doing nothing. She wanted to come see him… but she never thought about what she could do for him.

"With that in mind," the blond started nervously, "Could you open the balcony door a bit?"

The question brought a small smile to her face. With a small nod, the girl went to the other side of the room and slid the door open a bit. A cool breeze blew in; a gentle breeze of fresh air. It felt good against the skin as it slowly filled the room.

"Is that good?" she questioned curiously, moving out of the way so the blond could see.

He nodded, "Thank you."

'_What now?' _She wondered absentmindedly, leaning back against the partially opened door. _'I feel useless standing here…' _Her eyes looked to the side as she gazed out the window as well. It would have been a good day to be outside.

"Winter must be coming soon," she heard Din murmured to himself.

"What make you say that?" Scion questioned, cocking a brow slightly.

"The ocean looks a lot colder."

"It always looked like that," she stated.

"Maybe."

* * *

The straw-blond smiled. He wasn't watching the ocean; not really. At the moment, his blue eyes were watching Scion as she stared outside. She looked different somehow and it wasn't just because she was missing her white sleeveless jacket.

Her expression was softer; her eyes not holding the frozen glare they usually held. He had seen it before, that solemn look that almost looked curious. It had been on her face when she had hugged him before she left. He enjoyed seeing it; knowing that she could let her barriers and walls down for him… that she trusted him.

"Where's your jacket Scion?" he asked, watching her jump a little at his question.

She looked surprised for a moment before looking down.

"Oh," she murmured, "It must be in my room."

"You can sit down you know," Din laughed, "I don't expect you to wait on me."

He caught her blush slightly before she sat on the edge of the bed. She was silent, even for her standards.

"What's on your mind?" he asked curiously.

'_She's thinking about something.' _

"I'm wondering on how you always worry about me and not yourself," she murmured, looking out the slightly opened door.

"Don't you worry about other people?" the straw-blond questioned.

"Not really, no. I usually… just worry about myself. Other people hadn't been much of a concern before I met you."

He laughed inwardly at her explanation.

"Well I think you're worth worrying about," he stated pleasantly; being completely serious.

"I have to worry about you now too… and Sin…"

"Sometimes you need someone to worry about," he explained thoughtfully, "That way you know you're not alone."

* * *

Scion looked at him with those words. Both his arms were held out; open for her. she moved over to sit in his lap, carefully wrapping her arms around his torso. He pulled her close to him and she accepted the warmth of his embrace.

"I can't remember the last time that I felt comfortable with someone," she whispered.

"I can't remember the last time I felt comfortable," Din laughed slightly, "I've gotten used to it though."

"Unfortunately… me too," she admitted quietly.

They stayed like that, drifting into sleep. Scion was comfortable in his arms… she enjoyed it far too much. _'Oh well…' _She thought tiredly.

"Hey Scion?" Din whispered, sounding just as tired.

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

**End of Chapter 17**

_Woo! Long chapter! I honestly think that that's the longest one yet. o.O Wow. Well I had fun with that chapter, I don't know about you guys, but I thought it was good. :D I hope that you all really liked it and that no one will throw vegetables at me when I go outside. – holds up garbage can lid—_

_Thank you so much for reading! Please R&R and I'll try to update as soon as I can._

_halfdemon-kai_


	18. Chapter 18

_Hey everyone! I know that it's been a really long time since I last updated this story, but I was waiting for Kazey to update and finish her story and now I finally realize that that won't happen for some time. So this has a little bit of a spoiler for her story, but not really._

_I'm really sorry for my absence. I hope that this last chapter will make up for it and give you what you were expecting._

_Please enjoy._

**Chapter 18**

A snowball pelted Din in the side of the head and he looked over to see Scion laughing a little. He smiled as well at the sight. She had a fuzzy jacket on; a white long sleeved one. Bending down, he grabbed a handful of snow as well. He was hit three more times, making him cover his face in defense.

The straw-blond heard a laugh and then the shuffling of snow under her feet. Cautiously looking up, Din caught a cold Cheagle to the face.

"Mieu?" is asked; big blue eyes looking into his.

"What was that for?" he asked with a laugh.

"For letting it come back!" the girl replied, sounding amused.

Shaking his head, he pulled the Cheagle off his face and dropped it into the snow.

It had been a few months since Asch and Sin had left and the snow started to fall early. Din had been right, winter had been coming. They had been looking for the replicas sent back to Blue Abarath, but to no avail. It didn't matter how long they looked for, there were just too many people living in the city of water.

Dodging a snowball, he threw his at Scion; getting her in the shoulder. She ran at him, tackling him down in the snow. He could feel the frozen water drip down the back of his neck.

"Say I win or else I'll put snow down your shirt," she threatened, trying to pin his arms down.

"But you don't win," he laughed, rolling over and pinning her down easily, "And there's already snow down my shirt."

He smiled pleasantly as she scowled at her position. _'I guess that she hates to lose.' _He thought with a laugh.

"Come here Lupine," Din called, looking over at the Cheagle.

"You named it?" Scion asked with furrowed brows.

He nodded as the Cheagle looked happily up at him.

"Mieu?" it questioned, expression curious.

"Lick Scion's face," he said with a big grin.

"Mieu mieu!" the green Cheagle chided all too happily.

"No! Get it away from me!"

* * *

Scion turned her head away as the Cheagle happily licked her face. The winter cold stung at her cheek when it finally pulled away.

"Ew…" she muttered, trying to bring her pinned arm up to wipe her cheek.

"You don't like Cheagle kisses?" Din questioned, sounding amused.

"Not really, no," she replied emotionlessly.

"Well, what about… this kind?"

He leaned down to her and his lips lightly brushed against hers. She lifted her head, capturing his lips with hers. She felt him smile at the action. A few moments passed before he pulled away… and he was pelted with another snowball.

She was confused when he fell onto his side. Sitting up, a snowball hit her in the back of the head. Brows pushed together as she turned to see who it was. Her brows went together even more when she saw the flaming red hair standing out against the snow.

"You miss me?" the former General asked with a small smirk.

She threw a snowball at him, hitting him in the forehead.

"I'll take that as a no," he chuckled.

"Yeah, no's your best answer," Scion agreed, getting to her feet, "Where's Sin?"

A head of short black hair peered out shyly from behind the tall red head. Scion smiled, wiping the snow off her pants as she got to her feet. The smaller girl's black locks were cut short to chin length and her eyes were wide at the sight.

"What did you do to your hair?" Scion asked with confusion, "Why the hell would you cut it?"

"Long story," Sin explained nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"Like you're one to talk," Asch stated icily, casting Scion cold eyes.

"Yeah, because you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" the older girl asked just as coldly, crossing her arms, "It's not my fault it even happened."

A few moments of awkward silence passed by, the two glaring coldly at each other. _'Why does it even matter?'_ A hand was placed on Scion's shoulder and looking back, she saw Din smiling pleasantly.

"It's good to have you two back finally," the straw-blind said gently, "I'd like to catch up with you."

Asch nodded and Scion's eyes narrowed at him. The former General pushed Sin forward and by his eyes Scion could tell that a lot had happened in their absence.

"Why don't you go catch some rest?" the red haired man asked Sin.

She scowled openly before nodding with agreement.

"Come with me?" the smaller girl asked Scion, holding out a hand.

The older girl nodded before walking toward the castle.

Sin took Scion's hand and their arms started swaying as the black haired girl hummed her own little tune.

"It's good to have you back," Scion said with a smile.

Arms were wrapped around her torso in a moment, hugging her tightly. She was confused at the replica's actions.

"I'm so happy that you're okay," the smaller girl mumbled into Scion's coat.

Smiling, the older girl wrapped her arms around Sin's shoulders.

"Yeah, me too," she murmured.

* * *

Din sat on a stool; Asch took one beside him right after. They ordered something to drink and the blond looked at the distant red head.

"So what happened?" he asked with a raised brow.

"What do you mean?" Asch questioned emotionlessly.

"Why'd you leave? Where did you go?" the blond prodded.

"To a place far away from here," Asch stated quietly.

"Why?"

"I had to get something to make Sin better – a potion," the red head explained quietly, taking hold of the glass that the bartender placed on the counter.

Din fell silent for a moment, pondering Asch's words. There was something telling him that his friend was leaving out reasons and important parts. Wherever they had gone, things had happened that they weren't planning on sharing any time soon.

"…Really?" Din questioned, "All those changes for a potion?"

He felt the red head's cold eyes boring into him at his words.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Asch muttered, looking away broodingly.

"You didn't notice that scar over her eye or her short hair?" Din asked doubtfully, "I think I deserve an actual explanation."

"…An explanation for what? I told you why we left," the red head stated icily.

"I deserve an explanation for why I always have to clean up after you," the straw-blond stated just as fiercely.

Once he had actually thought about it, Din realized that having to take over for Asch at the old manor bothered him. He was pushed out of a position that he had enjoyed and into a position that he had never really wanted. He had to take up all new duties plus anything new added with the red head's absence. It stung that he had been there merely to clean up after Asch was gone.

The read head's brows knitted together in confusion, causing Din to scoff.

"Thanks for even noticing," the blond muttered sarcastically.

"What are you saying?"

"You left and all your duties got pushed onto me. I had to fill in and clean up everything that happened when you decided to leave. I was fine where I was and suddenly they were all expecting me to step up," Din explained coldly – angrily – to the former General, "And a few months ago when Scion's life was in danger, you just leave as if it didn't matter at all!"

Asch just sat quietly, almost wincing at some of the things that the blond was saying.

"I left alone and expected you to follow after. A week later I come back only to find out that you had left and I had done it all by myself," Din continued, "So much for friendship."

There was nothing but silence before Din stood up from the stool.

"Thanks a lot," he muttered before leaving the bar.

'_More like thanks for nothing.' _

* * *

The sleeves of her coat slid off her arms and Scion threw it on the dresser. She could feel the eyes of the younger girl staring at her back.

"What happened?" Sin's voice was quiet at the question.

'_She can probably see parts of the scars…' _With a sigh, Scion turned to face the younger girl with a solemn expression.

"That woman happened," she muttered, lime green eyes meeting demonic orange, "And a whip…"

Sin looked horrified with Scion's words.

"How could she do such a thing?" the girl asked, fists clenched, "I hope that woman is burning in hell."

Scion shrugged, looking uninterested in the topic. She had let it go – most of it – over the past few months. _'It doesn't matter anymore…'_

"It gets worse higher up, but it's all healed now," Scion laughed lightly, "It's not a big deal."

The smaller girl still looked concerned, so Scion shrugged again before crossing her arms and leaning against the dresser.

"What about you?" she questioned, "That's a nice mark."

She caught Sin shy away at the question. It was probably a question she didn't want people to ask.

"We got attacked by a Behemoth… and one of my artes backfired on me…" the smaller girl murmured, "When I woke up I had this scar."

Scion looked sympathetic toward the girl. Sure Scion had scars, but the large ones were well hidden. She'd never have to deal with people staring at one on her face.

"If people can't get past the scar then it's their loss," Scion stated, pushing off the dresser and going to sit beside Sin, "If they can't then I'll show them all of mine. You're a good person."

Orange orbs looked up at Scion and Scion smiled down at her.

"You'd take off all your clothes in the middle of a market?" the smaller girl asked doubtfully.

"If it makes you feel better, then I would," the older girl said with a nod.

Sin shook her head and started to laugh, causing Scion to laugh as well.

* * *

Din sat in his room and stared at the ceiling. His brows were furrowed as he thought about what had happened. _'I didn't know that I was __**that**__ mad.' _He grasped the sheets tightly in his hands. He didn't know what to do now, or what he even wanted. What was he expecting to happen by telling Asch that? It wouldn't fix anything.

'_I guess that I just needed for him to know…' _Maybe he wanted an apology or a thank you? After a year of picking things up where Asch left off, didn't he at least deserve that much?

"Guess not," he muttered, rolling onto his back.

The dark sky hung over Blue Abarath; stars and moon shining brightly.

The straw-blond had spent the rest of the day finding the Cheagle and dodging other people. It wasn't hard to see that something was bothering him. He wasn't smiling like he usually was, that was the first sign. When he had seen Scion for a moment, her eyes had been concerned. Though he had turned around and gone back the way he had come.

A knock on the door and a moment of silence passed before the door opened slowly.

"…Din?" Scion's voice asked from the doorway.

With a sigh, he sat up to look at the silver haired girl. The door closed behind her and she stepped into the dark room.

He felt the bed shift, Scion having sat down beside him. It was silent between the two for a few moments. _'She's probably trying to think of something to say…' _He didn't say anything either, not knowing how he should start.

"So, what's the matter?" she asked quietly, "I know you're upset because I saw you earlier."

"I know," he murmured.

"…Would you tell me?" she questioned, curious.

"It's nothing really important-"

"But it is important to you otherwise you wouldn't be upset about it," Scion interjected.

Din fell silent again, knowing that she was right.

"I tell you what I'm thinking," she continued, "I think that you should tell me what you are thinking in return."

With a sigh, the blond nodded his head. _'Where should I start?' _

"I got mad at Asch," he murmured, "…told him how I felt about him leaving lady Nadelay's manor."

"And what do you feel?" Scion prodded.

"I was angry with him; resented him for it. Everything was such a mess when he left, and I had to clean it all up…"

She looked back at him then, lime green eyes catching the moonlight. Her eyes were serious as she looked at him.

"I can understand you being upset," she agreed, "but Asch is your friend. He's not worth losing over that."

Din thought for a few moments; pondering Scion's words.

"I'm not saying that you should apologize, I'm just saying that you need to hear his feelings about it too."

He sighed again, knowing that Scion was making sense. Asch had never said a word to him when he explained how he felt… never argued back with him about it.

"That's strange hearing it from you," he laughed lightly, looking into her eyes.

"_I_ may not like him, but that doesn't mean that _you_ shouldn't too," she said with a gentle expression.

He felt himself smile as well at her expression.

"You're right," he agreed with a nod.

'_I guess that I'll have to talk to him about it eventually anyway…' _He thought, resting his head against hers. She patted his bare shoulder before he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Feel better now?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," he laughed nervously, "A little bit."

"Good."

Din could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest. There was a feeling there – a kind of yearning – that was bothering him. He knew that he didn't want to let Scion go… that he wanted to be even closer to her.

"You sure you're okay?" he heard Scion laugh from his chest.

"I don't know," he admitted sheepishly, "There's a feeling… I don't understand what it means."

Scion pulled out of his embrace and he reluctantly let her go. Her face looked concerned as she looked up at him.

"What kind of feeling?" the girl questioned.

"I think… it's a wanting feeling, grabbing at my abdomen. It's strange…"

Scion looked down at his words and his heart pounded at her expression. _'I think… I want her…' _

* * *

She felt her face flush, knowing what feeling Din was talking about. She had felt that way before about Tepid… and lately about Din. She was confused about whether or not she should act on it. _'I can't believe that he feels that way…' _

A finger was placed under her chin; tilting her head upward. She looked up at Din; confused by what he was doing. He leaned down, brushing his nose against hers, his breath against her face. Scion's blush deepened at the close contact before their lips touched lightly against one another.

The same feeling rose in the pit of her stomach before Din's lips pressed against hers. The kiss deepened, becoming more passionate. His hands rested on her shoulders, touching them lightly; causing her skin to heat up at the touch. She wanted his touch… wanted it everywhere.

His touch was gentle and soft… warm against her cool skin. His one hand traveled down her side; pulling her closer to him. He pulled away and Scion took in a breath, finding that she forgot how to breathe. Her eyes followed his head as he started to kiss down her neck. The places he hit made her spine tingle in a funny way. She shivered as his lips once again touched her skin, and she could feel a smile on his lips against her neck.

His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her even closer. Her bare midriff pressed against his warm chest and she smiled as Din wrapped his other arm around her shoulder. Din rested his head against the side of Scion's and she welcomed his warmth. His hand lightly stroked her spine, causing her to shiver all the more.

Her hands went to his chest; tracing lines of the muscles that he had. She felt him tense at her touch and she laughed lightly at his reaction.

"Like you're one to talk," he mused in a whisper, touching her spine lightly.

She shivered and he laughed a little as well.

"I never said that it was just you," she murmured, "I just think that it's funny on how much it affects you."

"It is," he agreed.

She moved back so she could see his moonlit face. He looked so peaceful, so content with what was happening. Seeing him like that, made her smile as well. It was a better feeling than the first time. It felt natural and not as forced as the last time. _She_ wanted it this time; wanted _him_. He wasn't pushing her to do this now.

Looking down at Din's bare chest, Scion traced abs that were by his ribs.

"What's the matter?" he asked, sounding worried.

"Remember a couple months ago when you said that you loved me and I couldn't answer?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah…"

Her eyes looked up to lock with his.

"I love you too," she admitted, looking away.

In the corner of her eye, Scion caught him smile. He seemed to ponder something for a few moments before he leaned closer to her.

"I hope so," he mused, "I don't want to go through with this if it's going to bother you."

"It doesn't bother me."

Pressing both hands to his chest, she closed the distance between them and captured his lips with hers. His hands touched where the shirt covered her back and she could feel her skin heat up. They went under, going up to her shoulder blades. Both of their muscles tensed at each other's touch.

They just explored; seeing where their touch affected them most. After a few moments, they started to remove clothing. Din lay back, pulling Scion down with him, leaning down to kiss his neck. She felt his hands tighten on her shoulders and she smiled to herself. She was glad that she had the same affect on him that he had on her.

She heard him gasp as she kissed his collar bone. She left a trail of light kisses down his chest before helping to remove his pants, as well as her own. He rolled her over, sitting on top as he gazed down at her. She was surprised that he had done that.

Scion raised a brow when she saw his blue eyes look over her. She wasn't shy; not anymore.

"Something wrong?" she questioned.

He shook his head, "No… I just never thought that I would actually be involved with someone like this."

"Have you ever…" she asked curiously.

"A couple maids… but I was never actually _with_ them like this."

"I never thought I would hear something like that from you," she mused.

"Me neither," he murmured before kissing her again.

There was only a moment that passed before she winced as their hips connected.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice sounding strained, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she replied, "I just forgot what it was like."

He rested his forehead against hers for a few moments before they continued.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

The light shone through his eyelids; waking the blond from his sleep. He couldn't stop but smile when he opened his eyes. Her back was to him; silver hair in disarray. Her breath was slow and even, telling him that she was still asleep.

When he lifted his hand, the sheets of the bed shifted off of them. His blue eyes looked down and they became solemn when he saw the scarring left from lady Nadelay's whip. His finger tips went across one near her spine and could feel the indent where the skin had healed over the gash. _'You'll never have to live through that again Scion… I promise that you won't.'_

She stirred from her sleep and he pulled his hand away. He didn't want to wake her up if it wasn't necessary. She deserved the sleep; having come into his room late at night.

He couldn't believe that it had happened. There was something about being one with Scion that was completely different than having been with the maids. This felt special – right – almost as if the whole thing had been nothing but a dream. It was a strange feeling to have.

Scion rolled onto her back and he saw her stare at the ceiling for a few moments. When she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, he smiled pleasantly at her.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked groggily.

"Not very long," he replied, reaching over and moving her bangs out of her eyes.

She scrunched her face at the action, making him laugh lightly.

"You can go back to sleep if you want to," the blond told her gently, "I was going to get up and have a shower anyway."

"If you say so," she grumbled, closing her eyes.

Laughing, he got to his feet and grabbed the clothes he would need for the day. _'I think that I really need a shower.' _

* * *

Scion buried her face in the pillow as she rolled over. She didn't know how long it had been since Din had left earlier in the morning. _'I don't want to get up…' _She thought, groaning. She felt tired and lazy; she didn't want to move.

Pushing herself up, the girl crawled over the side of the bed. She shivered at the cold air, wishing that she was still under the warm covers. Her lime green eyes scanned the room for the clothes that she had been wearing the previous night. She found her pants by Din's dresser and put them on. _'I can't wander through the halls naked.' _She thought sheepishly. _'Especially coming out of Din's room in the morning…' _Her face flushed a shade of red at the thought of what happened the night before.

She didn't feel ashamed of herself. She was glad that it had been Din and that she was with him now.

"I'm… happy," she whispered with a small grin on her face.

'_Really happy…' _

Her shirt was in the middle of the room. When she picked it up she found the light green Cheagle passed out underneath it. She smiled pleasantly down at it, bending down and playing with its ears. It didn't even move and she laughed a little before standing up straight.

As she went to slide her shirt over her head, the door to the room opened.

"You in here Din?" Asch's voice asked from the doorway.

Scion froze; her eyes wide as her shirt was still just on her arms. Asch's emerald orbs looked directly at her before he glanced down for a second. His eyes locked with hers; his surprised and hers a frozen glare.

Scion grabbed the closest hard object – the Cheagle – that she could find and threw it at him.

"Get out!" she growled, embarrassed by her situation.

He immediately left the room; shutting the door behind him. There was a thud where the Cheagle hit the door.

"Have you seen Din?" the red haired man asked from the other side of the door.

"No. I don't know where he is," she replied coldly, putting her shirt on, "Try the training yard."

There were a few moments of silence before Scion opened the door.

Asch was still standing there, his expression serious. She felt her agitation rise up at the sight of him.

"You want to go away now?" she asked.

"I was… wondering how you were…"

"Peachy," she muttered, "Now go find Din."

He paused for a moment; considering something.

"Go!" Scion demanded angrily.

The red headed man turned and walked down the hallway; continuing his search for the straw-blond.

"…Teach him to not knock before coming it…" she muttered before going into her room.

* * *

Din stared across the stairs and the frozen fountain. Things looked so different covered in snow. The smell might have been cold on the nose but it was still pleasant. He enjoyed looking at the scenery.

The door creaked behind him and he didn't turn to see who it was.

"Still like looking at the scenery huh?"

Din sighed at the voice, knowing who it was.

"Yeah, I missed it for a while," he murmured.

The red head took a seat beside the straw-blond and stared out over the snow.

"I'm sorry that I snapped yesterday," the blond murmured, hands fiddling with one another.

"No, don't apologize," Asch stated, "I deserved it…"

Din looked to the side with some surprise at the former General. _'I really didn't expect him to say it's his fault…' _

"I left on my own terms in both cases. At the time I wasn't thinking about whom the decisions would affect… or what would happened once I was gone," Asch explained quietly, "I thought that saving Sin was more important than saving Scion this time… I could live with knowing that something bad had happened to Scion… but not to Sin."

Din's brows furrowed a little at the red head's explanation. He didn't understand how Asch could deal with the guilt of that. How could anyone live with that?

"She was tortured Asch… I don't think that it gets much worse than that," Din murmured quietly.

"She's still alive though," Asch stated, "She could have been killed."

"You being there could have saved her life," the blond countered.

They fell silent for a few moments before Asch sighed.

"I acted selfishly," he admitted, "I know that. It doesn't change what has already passed."

Din didn't reply, only stared forward.

"I'm sorry that everything fell onto you because of me."

The straw-blond thought for a moment before he too sighed. Nodding his head, he smiled.

"You pulled a 'me'," Din mused, "Acting in the moment."

He heard Asch let out a chuckle, "Yeah, I suppose I did."

* * *

"If you don't block faster then you're going to get killed," the red head said emotionlessly, pushing the girl back with his sword.

"As if," Scion muttered, charging in again.

Asch parried her sword to the side before he kicked her in the ribs, forcing her away again.

"You're letting your anger against me get the better of you. It's clouded your judgment of attack."

"If you weren't such a jack ass then I wouldn't have to worry about being pissed off!" she growled, going in to attack.

Their blades clashed together; blocking each other's strikes. Scion parried before twisting her sword and knocking Asch's out of his hand. Knocking the feet out from under him, she pointed the end of her blade to his throat.

She was panting and watching him with angered eyes. His expression wasn't surprised or scared. He was used to battle…

Withdrawing her sword she muttered incoherently to herself, shaking her head. _'Of all people… why does it have to be __**him**__ that trains m?' _

"Better, but you could do better as well," Asch stated, getting to his feet.

Scion rolled her eyes at his words before turning to go back to the castle.

"You may not enjoy it but it's the only way to get better. You need to learn more than what Din has already taught you."

"Unfortunately," the girl muttered.

"Sin is training with Din at the moment," he continued, "If you want to learn how to create a barrier then you need to become stronger."

Scion scowled. If she wasn't careful with whom she challenged to fight then she could easily get defeated.

Asch walked ahead of her to the door of the training room. This was their third day of training and she was having a hard time listening to everything he was saying. She didn't want to hear everything that he had to say.

"Why did you agree to this?" she asked, a little confused.

"I owed someone a favor," he replied simply.

"I'm assuming that he guilt tripped you?" the girl mused.

"You could call it that," the red head replied, shaking his head.

Scion beamed. _'Din must have let him have it then.'_

"Sin didn't help either," he muttered.

After everything that had happened… Scion was glad that she was where she was now. She was happy that she was with Din now; with someone she was sure loved her back. She had a friend that cared about what happened to her that came with someone to argue and tease.

After having being tortured and being forced to face her past… she was glad that she had left to find a future. She was glad that she had found something worth living for.

**End of Fanfic**

_So that's it, that's the end of Frozen Longing. Though if you want more of Sin, Scion, Asch and Din, I hope that you will all go on to read __**Without Reason **__which will hopefully be on the move again soon. I'm trying the best I can to get Kazey on her writing feet again. _

_Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story, I hope that you all enjoyed it. And thank you all to those who have reviewed and just read it in general. It makes me really happy. :)_

_Thank you so much. :3_

_halfdemon-kai_


	19. Epilogue

_So out of devine bordom, I decided that I was going to post this Epilogue that I wrote a long time ago for **Without Reason. **It never got posted becaue we didn't want to spoil anything for **Kazegami-inkpot's One Reality**, but it doesn't seem like she's on the train to posting the rest of it. I hope that you all enjoy it. :) _

_Enjoy_

_**Without Reason: Epilogue**_

Her back got pinned to a wall, a sword to her throat. A hand was on her forehead, keeping it in place. She scowled and glared at the red haired man.

"You set yourself up too easily," he stated before releasing her.

"Only because you've been doing this your whole life," Scion muttered as she picked up her sword again.

"Possibly," he admitted, "Now, again."

She scowled all the more at his order. This man would run her into the ground if he kept pushing her like this. It made her mad that she couldn't even knock him off his feet that often.

Attacking, the older girl dodged his attack and swung her sword at him. He quickly blocked before pushing her sword to the side. It was down low as he swung his sword to strike at her throat. Quickly, Scion brought her sword to block his. She brought her other arm to the side of the large sword to push Asch back.

"Better," he told her, taking a step to the side, "Remember that a defensive attack can be offensive too."

He came in to attack then, his sword moving swiftly and precise. _'It makes me wish that I had been using a sword for my entire life…' _Scion defended as the attacks came, blocking and parrying where she could. She found that it was hard to attack with him constantly coming at her. _'I need to find some way to turn this around.'_

Asch wasn't wearing all his armor as he would usually wear every day. He was pen to any kind of attack, just as she was. _'Nobody ever said that I just had to use a sword. It's about time that I gave __**him**__ some bruises.' _When his sword came down from above her head, Scion blocked his attack with her sword before she elbowed him in the jaw. Asch backed away with some surprise as she grabbed the hilt of his sword and took it from him. She knocked the feet out from under him before crossing both swords at his throat.

Scion glared down at Asch, watching him intently for a few moments. Her hands didn't want to move away from the position. She liked the feeling of him lying on the ground defenseless. The thought caused her to wince before reluctantly throwing his sword to the ground.

She let him get to his feet as she turned away from him. She heard him sigh as he sheathed his sword.

"Good way to improvise," he told her, "It's good to take your enemy off guard."

"Yeah," she murmured, "I thought it was a good idea."

'_What was I thinking? I actually considered it…' _She felt shame at her thoughts as she sheathed her own sword.

"You don't have to feel ashamed about what happened either," he told her, "I used to consider on whether or not I should kill a person too."

Scion scoffed at his words.

"Killing you would change nothing," she stated.

"My thoughts exactly."

They went to leave the training room when Asch paused for a moment in front of her. She cocked a brow at his action as he turned around to look at her.

"What? Are you mad because I hit you in the face?" she asked, smirking slightly.

"I just had a thought… but now it's gone," he murmured before shaking his head.

"You need to stop thinking so much," she told him, pushing him out into the hallway, "Hurry up, I want to catch the end of their training this time."

"I can't… move any… faster…" Asch said slowly, pretending to go in slow motion.

Her expression dropped before pushing him to the side and running to the other training room.

* * *

Din blocked the smaller girl's attack as she jumped at him. With her one attack blocked, Sin attacked again, forcing him to push her away.

The girl's movements were fast – too fast – as he was forced to block almost everything she threw at him. They were quick and precise and almost random. She hardly ever pulled the same combination of attacks twice.

"Come on Sin, c-calm down," the straw-blond said nervously as she charged at him again.

"But that's no fun," she laughed, swinging her arm at his head.

He blocked her weapon before grabbing a kick that was directed for his ribs.

"Ah!" she cried as Din held onto both of her feet.

The door to the training room opened and he heard a small laugh from the doorway.

"Come on Sin, how did you manage that?" Scion asked, laughing at the smaller girl being hung upside down.

"You're lucky I don't cut your legs off Din," Sin seemed to threaten.

"Then he'd be your height," Scion teased.

"You're in _so_ much trouble!" the smaller girl shouted.

"Catch me first shorty," the older girl chided.

"Yeah, well… you sound just like Asch!"

"Damn it!"

'_Why do they seem to have so much fun arguing with each other?' _The blond asked himself rather nervously. _'I'm not even sure that I should let her down.' _Letting the black haired girl go, Din watched as Sin ran at Scion; almost tackling her to the ground.

Asch walked into the room and shook his head at the sight of the two girls playing around with each other. The sight made Din laugh. He was glad to see Scion able to smile again. She did it more often now, even if more of it was to her self. A smile was still a smile in his eyes.

The tall red head came over to him and he grinned.

"I miss a lot, don't I?" Asch asked; a small laugh in his voice.

"Only with those two," din agreed with a nod.

"You think that we should let them fight it out?" the red head wondered, watching the two girls roll around on the floor.

"…Yeah, they might drag us into it," the straw-blond agreed with a laugh.

"I need to go to the market for a few things. Interested in accompanying me?"

"Sure," Din agreed with another nod, "Scion, play nice while we're gone."

"As if," Sin replied for her, laughing.

The two men shook their head before leaving the training room.

* * *

Scion sat against the wall laughing while she watched Sin attempt to do a cartwheel.

"I'd like to see you do any better," Sin challenged with a grin.

"Why do you want to know how to do one anyway?" the older girl asked with a cocked brow, "They're kind of weird if you ask me."

"The people at festivals do them all the time," the smaller girl replied, "I want to know how to do them too."

Scion shook her head as she watched her friend try again. She couldn't hide her laughter as Sin's feet barely made it off the ground.

"Go on then, you do it. I dare you."

"Well if you're going to _dare_ me," Scion mused, getting to her feet.

She went to the middle of the room and raised her bands above her head. Moving her weight with her hands to the side, Scion brought her legs up and did a cartwheel.

"No way! How do you do that?" the smaller girl asked, "Can you teach me?"

"Can you do a handstand?" Scion asked.

"Yeah…"

"It's the same thing, only you have to bring your weight to your side."

Sin tried again with a little more success. She was excited when she landed on her feet. _'I wonder what it's like to be a replica… How does it feel to have so many people hate you before they know you?' _

"Were did you learn to do that?" the smaller girl asked; excited.

"My oldest brothers taught me when I was little," Scion replied with a small smile.

Sin seemed to fall into thought bat the mention on her oldest brothers. It made Scion wonder why.

"What's on your mind small fry?" she asked, locking eyes with the smaller girl.

"Well… I've been wondering for a while… How did you feel when you found out that your twin brothers were replicas?" the smaller girl questioned, sounding nervous about asking.

Scion smiled gently at the question. _'Is she worried that I didn't like her in the beginning when we first met?'_

"_Big brother, what's a replica?"_

"_What do you mean Scion?"_

"_Everybody says that we're just a bunch of replicas… what does it mean?"_

"_Replicas are people that are made from the fonons of another person."_

"_How come they're calling us replicas then?"_

"_Scion, your brother and I are replicas. We're not twins, little sister."_

"_Why is that bad?" _

"_It's not. People just think that it is."_

The older girl sat down and crossed her legs with a smile on her face.

"I was only about seven when I found out, so I didn't really understand what it meant. When he told me, I didn't hate them for it. A replica just meant another person to me," Scion explained with a shrug, "They still are just people to me."

Sin seemed to grin at the explanation. _'They're not just people… they're special people.' _

"I'm glad that you think that way," the smaller girl said gently, "I don't think I'd have as much fun if I'd never met you."

"I probably wouldn't either small fry."

* * *

The people passed them in the market, chatting and laughing amongst themselves. Din looked over his shoulder at Asch, seeing what exactly he was looking for.

"What happened while we were gone?" the red headed man asked, looking like he was deep in thought.

"Scion wouldn't want me to tell you," the straw-blond laughed nervously, "but I guess that it is a security issue…"

Asch's eyes seemed to narrow at those words. _'She's going to be mad that he knows…' _

Din turned to look at his friend and he sighed.

"We went into a mining town across the border to get some Blue Abarath for Scion's sword. Where we found a replica of Tepid," the blond explained, looking down slightly.

Asch's emerald eyes looked intently at the blond.

"What did he want?"

"He wanted to get to Blue Abarath and he tricked us to believe that he was the real thing. He's dead though…"

"Then what's the security issue?" Asch prodded, sounding almost impatient.

"They made six other replicas of Blue Abarath's army and sent them back to kill the people of their families," Din finished, looking away from the former General, "No one had been killed so we didn't think that anyone was in any real danger. We've been looking through pictured of dead soldiers for anyone we've seen recently. There isn't anyone that fits anyone else."

Asch's brows furrowed at the explanation. _'We probably should have told them sooner…' _Din thought as he realized the seriousness of the situation.

"You haven't seen anyone at all?" Asch asked.

"Not anyone from the war."

"Keep and eye open," the red head warned, "Those people don't exactly enjoy fighting fair."

The blond nodded before Asch gestured for them to continue. They still had a few things to do.

* * *

The older girl walked down the market and looked around for the right road that she needed to go down. There were a lot of people today going around the streets. _'I guess that they have a lot of sales on today…' _

Sin had been called to spend some time with Dailiin. The brunette haired girl had missed the younger girl on the time that she had been away. That gave Scion some time to herself with Din being out with Asch.

'_I need to check a few things out at the old house… See what needs to be cleaned up or thrown out before next week.'_ She smiled pleasantly at the thought, though at the same time, dreading the idea of cleaning up her brothers' old rooms. Her and Din had had a discussion about moving out of the palace and into the old house. She had considered the idea and thought that she should clean up the house just in case.

Her lime green eyes narrowed when they caught sight of a man and a younger teenaged boy standing outside of her old house. The man was looking through the windows, trying to see through the closed curtains. _'What the hell do they think they're doing?' _

"All the windows are shut up and the curtains are closed," the man stated before looking back at the boy, "Are you sure that this is where…"

The man stopped in his words, his eyes locking with Scion's cold ones.

The boy turned to look as well, not seemed surprised at being caught in their act.

"Can I help you ma'am?" the man asked, not seemed nervous at having an audience.

"Don't call me ma'am. I'm not an old lady," Scion hissed, her eyes nearly glaring as he hand went to the hilt of her sword, "You can start by getting the hell away from my house."

The boy cast a stoic glance toward the older man who seemed to smile slightly at her actions.

"Okay young lady, no need to get angry over this," the man stated, raising his hands in an 'I mean no harm' way, "We were just looking for an old friend of ours."

"Please, do enlighten me then," she dared, her eyes narrowing, "Because four men have lived in that house with me."

The man's smile seemed to falter then. No one else had lived in that house besides her family and Tepid. They had lived there since before her brothers had even been born. _'What the hell are they after? Are they tied to that lying bastard?' _She wondered, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. What would happen if they _were_ from across the border? What would she do?

"All four of them are dead," the girl added.

"A man that fought with us in the war over a year ago," the man told her, "Tepid."

At the mention of his name, Scion's fist tightened around the hilt of her sword.

"He's dead," she told them, her voice on the edge of anger, "He's been dead ever since the war and no one has seen him since."

The man seemed confused at Scion's words and it made her scowl. If they were confused then that meant that they were from across the border. _'I can't just let them go.' _

Scion unsheathed her sword and directed it at the man by the window.

"His replica is dead to, in case you were wondering," she hissed, turning her sword to the side to attack.

"So you're the one that killed him," the man sighed, making a sword appear in his hands.

"Actually," she growled, charging at him, "He killed himself!"

The man blocked her attack before pushing her back.

"That's such a shame. He was such a good soldier too," he laughed, taking a step to the side, "Happy too."

She seethed as the man talked about the dead replica. She hated Tepid for lying to her; hated the replica even more for tricking her.

"Then I'm going to assume that you're the one that created him," the girl growled, thrusting her blue sword forward at the man's head.

His sword pushed hers to the side, causing her blade to skin his cheek.

"Very bright of you," the man complimented before sliding his sword down the side of hers, "A brain like yours could prove useful."

Lifting her foot quickly, she kicked the man in the stomach to push him away.

The man grunted; coughing from having the wind knocked out of him.

"Your fighting skills are quite admirable as well," he told her, catching his breath, "Why not join us? You could be very useful."

Scion scoffed at the man's suggestion. _'Why would I join someone that's trying to kill me?' _

"I'm going to have to decline the invitation," she stated, swinging her sword at the man.

Something passed across the man's face at her words. He looked almost… angry.

His sword moved faster then, attacking her at a fast speed. She had to defend, finding no time to be able to attack back. This grew on to her agitation. _'I'm not going to lose to this bastard…' _Parrying his sword away, she pushed him back before placing her sword at his throat.

"Give me a good reason not to kill you," she hissed hatefully at him.

"There is no good reason as to why you shouldn't," he mused, "Your actions will merely delay what the future holds for the people of this world."

A jab to her stomach took off her guard before she was thrown back. Her sword slipped from her hands, having slid further behind her. The man stalked forward; his sword once again back in his hands. His foot locked under hers and he used it to drag her closer.

Scion winced at the gravel burn on her back before the man sat on her hips to hold her down. His hand took hold of a fist of hair and held onto it tightly.

"I remember seeing two men in that war with the same colour of eyes as you; identical men," the man told her, placing his sword at her throat.

She glared hatefully at the man. _'He saw my brothers…' _Her jaw clenched at the thought.

"They were very interesting," he continued, "As interesting as you."

"We should leave Jion," the younger boy stated emotionlessly, "Your fight has drawn unwanted attention."

The man smirked at the boy's words.

"We'll meet against in the future, girl," he chuckled before leaning to her ear, "I'll make sure of it."

"Not if I get rid of you now," Scion hissed, creating a field of fonons around them.

The entire circle glowed off the stone; showing quite clearly.

"Lightning Tempest!"

* * *

Din looked at the people around him and Asch. They were all talking and shying away from a certain street. _'What's going on?' _The straw-blond wondered with a cocked brow.

"Something's going on," Asch stated aloud, sounding cautious.

"I wonder what's-"

A flash above the buildings caught both of their attention. _'I know that arte…' _He took off toward the flash of lightning; Asch following close behind him.

They cut through alleyways to get there faster. When they came out of one and onto an empty street, they looked down both ways. Din's blue eyes landed on Scion kneeling down on one knee in the street.

"Scion!" he called to her, running to her side.

She didn't look at him or give him any form of acknowledgement. Her eyes were locked ahead of her, glaring down the street at something. The back of her jacket was dirty with rocks and snow. Her silver hair was in disarray and she was shaking slightly.

"What happened?" the straw-blond asked, confused by the situation.

"He got away," she hissed, her fist clenching.

"Who did?" Din questioned.

"A man from across the border," she muttered, getting to her feet.

The blond looked behind him at Asch whose brows were furrowed and face stern.

"Let's go," Scion muttered, turning away.

"Where?" he asked.

"Back to the palace. That man's not coming back."

* * *

Scion walked ahead of the two men as they went back to the palace. _'If he does come back… then I'll kill him.' _


End file.
